Everything Has A Reason
by LeAnn388
Summary: They say "Everything has a reason". First love turns to heartbreak, blind dates gone bad, the rebound from hell, and real love after she stopped looking. This story is meant to show you that you can't always jump straight to the good things in life. The bad things can actually help put you on the path to happiness, but you have to endure them to get there. Slow burn to E/B.
1. Chapter 1

**Everything Has A Reason**

**A/N: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The plot does belong to me. This is gonna be like a drabble story, but some chapters will be longer than others. Not sure how often I'll update, but I'll shoot for every other day. I have about 16 chapters written, so I guess it depends on if anyone even likes what I've written so far. **

**Chapter 1**

_I don't think we should see each other anymore. - Tyler_

A text?

The cowardly, asshole broke up with me in a text?

While I'm at work and can't drive over to strangle his ass!

I stayed with him even after everything he's done!

What the fuck did I do to deserve this shit?

Slamming her locker door, she returned to work wondering how her life got to here.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The plot does belong to me. This is gonna be like a drabble story, but some chapters will be longer than others. **

**Chapter 2**

"You alright Bella?"

"Yeah Mike I'm fine, never better" I said, hoping he'd believe the lie and leave me alone.

"Just ready to go home" I muttered, while simultaneously thinking that my boyfriend, well I guess now _ex-boyfriend_ is a soulless asshole.

Hopefully my sister will not feel the need to tell me _I told you so _tonight. Because there is no way I'm letting that asshole off with a text.

I have questions that deserve answers and I want any of the crap that's accumulated at his place back.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The plot does belong to me. This is gonna be like a drabble story, but some chapters will be longer than others. This story is E/B, but fair warning it might take awhile to get there. The first few chapters are slow going, so hang with me. **

Chapter 3

"You're not going over there alone Bella. We're gonna go over there and get the answers you want and anything that belongs to you" my sister Rose said.

"See if that asshole tries anything while I'm there with you. I'll run him over with my truck", Rose muttered, from the driver side as they both climbed into Rose's truck to head to the Denali home.

My sister Rose never really had a problem with Tyler, but considering he hurt her little sister.

Now it was open season on the idiot.

"Fine, I just want to get my shit and leave. He'll answer my questions or he won't. Either was I'm done dealing with the crap he's put me through" said Bella, while trying to find the confidence she knew would be required to get through her meeting with Tyler.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The plot does belong to me. This is gonna be like a drabble story, but some chapters will be longer than others.**

Chapter 4

Bella's heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest with how fast it was beating as they pulled up to the house. Oh wait, make that "_Denali Manor", _she thought sarcastically. Rolling her eyes, Bella couldn't help but remember her first experience there.

Eleazar and Carmen Denali loved to flaunt their money and had built the large rustic mansion around the time her parents had gotten married. Bella had never seen it herself. Until she had started dating Tyler two years ago.

Her first time inside she had complimented Tyler's mother, Carmen, on having such a lovely house.

"This is not a _house_, Isabella. I am sure living in your quaint little house makes it difficult to know the difference, but this is a _manor_", Carmen sneered, as if Bella had disrespected her personally. She had left the room rather abruptly after her comments. Leaving Bella stunned at the obvious dislike the woman felt towards her.

_Wonder who pissed in her cheerios? _

For whatever reason, the Denali's had always remained cold and distant to Bella. While they were never directly hostile, they took every chance they could find to make subtle jabs at Bella's working class family status.

Bella couldn't help but shake her head in frustration while staring out the window towards the _manor. _I can't believe I stayed with this asshole for two years, she thought, feeling exasperated at her own stupidity. He's twenty-three years old, has a credit card his mommy and daddy pay for, and apparently only holds a job because he, "doesn't get access to his trust fund for another two years". The signs of a arrogant slacker were all there.

"I'll be back soon. Please just stay in the car Rosalie. I don't plan on taking more than a few minutes and I just want to get my stuff and leave." Bella said as she got out of her sister's truck.

While Rosalie was hesitant to let her sister go in alone, she also knew Bella didn't need her hand held.

"Fine, I'll wait in the truck, but if you're not out in fifteen minutes I'm coming in after you" she said begrudgingly, noticing movement outside the front of the house.

"Well it looks like they heard the truck pull up. Who's the constipated looking geezer at the door?" asked Rosalie


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The plot does belong to me. **

Chapter 5

Rosalie's lovely description of the welcoming committee could only belong to one man in Bella's mind.

"That would be Tyler's father, Eleazar", grimaced Bella.

Thinking back, Bella realized her sister's description of Eleazar was actually very right. Whenever Bella was in the same room as him, she always noticed the serious and concentrated look on the man's face.

"I always got the feeling he was full of shit, maybe it's a literal fact too", Bella couldn't help but chuckle at her own childish joke. She had hoped to avoid his parents one last time, but apparently luck was not on her side tonight.

"Are his eyes brown?" Rosalie added, hoping a little humor would help relieve the tense atmosphere.

As Eleazar stepped out of the house, the girls realized a rather large and serious looking man followed him outside. The Denali's were known for the high security they kept on their property and Bella could only assume that he was preparing for her to cause a scene.

"What the hell does he think you're going to do?" Rosalie asked, bewildered by the security presence.

"He's probably hoping I'll give him a reason to have me arrested" I muttered. "You've got to remember, I was never good enough for Tyler in their eyes. They probably think I'll go off the deep end and start trashing their house" I said, chuckling humorlessly.

The Denali grandparents originated from Spain, and while Eleazar grew up in New York, the way he carried on, you would think he'd lived in Spain all his life. Like Tyler's mother, Eleazar seemed to already have a low opinion of Bella before they had ever met. To Eleazar Denali, Bella was an insignificant little girl who his son would grow tired of soon. He had high expectations for his only son and Bella Swan was not a part of that future.

Taking a deep breath, Bella closed the truck door and started covering the short distance between them.

"Hello Mr. Denali" Bella said in what she hoped sounded like a confident voice that would hide her nervousness.

"We don't have time for pointless conversation here tonight Isabella. Tyler informed me that he has made it quite clear that he's finished with the little tryst the two of you had going. I really don't understand what you're doing here." he stated, sounding just as condescendingly and pompous as ever.

"I dated Tyler for two years Mr. Denali, over time a few things that belong to me have been left in his room. I'm just here to get them back and then I'll be leaving" I said, glaring towards Tyler, noticing him standing behind the security guard in the doorway. Coward, couldn't even answer the door himself, had to get daddy to do his dirty work.

"Fine, Tyler will go with you upstairs to make sure you only take what is rightfully yours. I'd hate for you to take something that didn't belong to you. Then I'd be required to involve the authorities and you know how people are in such a small town. We wouldn't want to give off the impression that you were someone of such low-class, would we Isabella." he insinuated, moving aside to allow Bella to finally pass.

Following Tyler through the entryway and towards the staircase, Bella couldn't help but hear the laughter coming from the sitting room to her right. Thinking nothing of it, she continued on looking straight ahead as they started climbing the stairs. It wasn't until they were almost to the top that Bella let her curiosity get the better of her and glanced back down into the room where she'd heard the laughter coming from. What she saw stopped her in her tracks. What the hell is _she_ doing here?

**A/N: So I was planning on this being a drabble, but that's not really how it's turning out. This is my first attempt at writing fanfic and every time I sit down to edit a chapter it seems to grow more and more. So while I'm going to try to keep posting regular updates, I don't know that I'll be able to keep up the daily updates without running out of pre-written chapters. I'm also in the process of moving and that's not easy to do when you add an 18 mth old toddler to the mix. So I'm posting this chapter today and will take a few days to build up some more so that I won't run out. I will however, post at LEAST once a week.**

**Also, just wanted to say "thanks" to AmeryMarie for being my 1st follower. *shakes head* Ok, well you're also my only follower, but that's besides the point. Thanks for giving it a chance. It's nowhere near as good as other stories on here, but I will tell you that while I've embellished a lot for readers, several of the basic plot points were taken from RL. Hope that intrigues more people to check it out.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The plot does belong to me. **

Chapter 6

While it felt like hours that Bella remained frozen in shock, it had only been seconds. Tyler had continued on to his room at the end of the hall, either having not noticed Bella's pause or simply not caring. She had forced herself to look away from the woman conversing with a damn near gleeful looking Carmen, smiles plastered on both their faces. Hell, Carmen could put the Joker out of a job with the twisted smile she was sporting.

_Or maybe she got a little to friendly with some Botox and got stuck that way._

It felt like she was in a daze as she carefully retrieved the few personal items scattered around the room. She never did understand why he still lived with his parents. _He's twenty-three years old! Guess that should have been the first red flag._

**Warning! Warning! Spoiled little rich boy, living off mommy & daddy! Run away!**

She tried to avoid spending time there as often as possible. On the rare occasion it happened, Tyler stayed busy on the computer and Bella would sit and read. She'd never made a habit of leaving items behind, but a few books had been left over time, along with a pullover sweater she would often wear when it rained. Nothing that couldn't be replaced, but knowing this would be the last time she'd step foot in this house and wanting answers to allow herself closure, was the driving force that had helped her find the confidence to come over.

She knew she could not allow Tyler or any of the Denali's, for that matter, to see through her cracking façade. There would be time to breakdown later, time for all the feelings of rage and hate to change to defeat and sadness. Not for the loss of her relationship with Tyler, but for what it stood for. The broken heart of a girl who experienced what she thought was love, only to realize like so many others, that her fairytale was a lie and her prince charming was a snake in disguise.

Seeing she had collected all she needed, Bella decided to skip right past the awkward silence and begin asking her questions.

"You couldn't have the decency to break up with me in person? After all the crap I've dealt with from both you and your family, someone you claimed to love for almost two years, you couldn't get off your father's tit long enough to look me in the eyes when you threw me aside like yesterday's trash?"

"I thought it would be easier on both of us. A clean break." Tyler muttered, still having not made eye contact with her.

_Awww, well now isn't that sweet, apparently he was trying to spare my feelings. _

"Bullshit! You would need to care about someone other than yourself first, and recent events have shown me just how blind I've been to the fact the only words in your vocabulary are _me, myself, and I_." shaking her head, she decided to just move right on to the question that kept flashing in her mind like a huge, neon sign.

_What is she doing here?_

"Fine, whatever" she muttered, not hiding her eye roll.

"Who is the girl downstairs with Carmen and why does your mother look damn near euphoric talking with her?"

.

_Silence_

_._

"No response? Alright, let me simplify my question. I know who she is, what is she doing here?" she said clenching her jaw, struggling to control her temper at all the unanswered questions.

"That's Tanya Volturi, we work together at my father's shipping company. His last assistant transferred to the New York office two weeks ago and Tanya replaced her."

_Well isn't that interesting. He still didn't answer my damn question, but it connects a few dots. Considering the fact Eleazar would have final say on an employee's transfer, Bella could only conclude that Tanya's new employment and presence downstairs were not a coincidence. _

"No shit, really. Tanya Volturi? You don't say." she said sarcastically

She was well aware who she was. Tanya had arrived during her Junior year of high school. Bella was always a very shy, quiet, t-shirt and jeans type girl, with a rusted up red Chevy truck. She was often described as antisocial because she kept to herself a lot. Once she felt comfortable with someone, her defenses would relax and allow her often goofy personality to shine through. Tanya was her polar opposite. She loved being social, making friends easily, always wore designer clothes and drove a deep-sea blue metallic BMW Z4. So it had been odd to everyone that they seemed to strike up an easy friendship. They didn't have slumber parties or braid each others hair, but they went to an occasional movie and were study partners when one or both were in need of help. When graduation came, Tanya had gone off to college in Chicago and their friendship had slipped away like many do after high school. They didn't end on bad terms and she even remembered wishing Tanya the "best of luck" in wherever life took her.

_How ironic. Now I'm just wishing she'd get crabs. _

Pausing to take a deep breath Bella tried to keep a lid on the mountain of emotions she had suppressed all day.

"Lets try this again, and I'll speak slowly so you'll understand me this time. I...know...**who**...she...is..., what I want to know is **why**, is...she...here? Just hours after you broke up with me in a fucking text message. Having a merry ol time downstairs with your mother, a woman I've never seen smile might I add, and when you knew I would still need to come by tonight to get my stuff?" she said, sounding exasperated by the end of her question.

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

"She's here to formally meet my parents before our date." he answered finally meeting her eyes.

**A/N: I've spent the last few days writing when I have time, preparing for our move, and trying to control a toddler who's becoming more adventurous by the day. I've managed to get up to chapter 8 completed. Plus if you haven't noticed, the chapters are getting longer. I'm gonna try to post updates weekly on Friday. **Fingers crossed***


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The plot does belong to me. Don't miss the A/N at the bottom.**

Chapter 7

_Am I being "Punked", is Ashton gonna come running in here any minute now? Or maybe it's one of those episodes where another celebrity is hosting. Oh geez, it better not be that Bieber idiot, cause if that's the case, I will knock . him . the . fuck . out!_

_ Oh wait. . . ._

_Maybe I'm dreaming. That's what all this is. I ate one too many egg rolls, ended up with a bad case of the shits, and am now passed out drooling in bed hallucinating all this crap. I'm gonna take a deep breath, relax and when I open my eyes, I'll be back in my bed, and this entire thing will have been a food poisoning induced coma._

Deciding to take the advice of her inner monologue, but ignoring the urge to pinch herself, Bella took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

_Well, shhiitt! _

_No Ashton, No Bieber, and. . . . . nope, not feeling the urge to shit either. Fan-fucking-tastic. . . ._

She realized that other than to close her eyes and pray it was all a result of an overactive imagination, she had not responded to Tyler. Checking her watch showed that while it felt like she'd been inside for hours, only ten minutes had passed. Knowing Rosalie would hold her to the agreed fifteen minutes, a max of twenty would go by before Rosalie would give the Denali's a real reason to call the authorities.

"So let me see if I've got this right. You broke up with me in a c_hicken-shit_ text message and you already had another girl lined up to meet your parents?" clenching her teeth and fists as the bitterness came through in her words. Thankful her anger was keeping the tears from falling. She wouldn't give the bastard the satisfaction of seeing her pain.

"Did Tanya know you and I were dating before coming here tonight?" she continued, once again acknowledging the familiar feeling of betrayal. This time however it wasn't only directed at Tyler, but also at Tanya. A girl she had at one point considered a good friend.

"Of course she knew Bella. It wouldn't be right to let her get blindsided by my past. My father has spent the past two weeks out of the office and when he's not there I manage things. I've handled my usual clients, along with signing a few new ones, and then add my father's work to the pile. Tanya has stayed late and worked hard with me every day to keep things running smoothly."

_It wouldn't be right? Um, hello, what do you call what you've done to me? _

_A good start?_

Remembering her audience downstairs, she took a deep breath and tried to control her temper. The last thing she needed was to raise her voice and have the Denali's use it as an excuse to call the police. They'd claim she was trespassing or screaming like a lunatic just for the joyful sight of her being handcuffed and hauled off in the back of a police cruiser. Especially when her father was the chief of police. If Charlie tried to give Bella special treatment they'd drag him into this messed up situation just to show they could.

That thought propelled Bella to allow some of her rage to bubble out.

"So have you kept with the cliché and been fucking her too? I mean why not? While Eleazar's out of the office Tanya is technically your assistant. According to you she knew we were dating and yet she's downstairs waiting like a _good little bitch in heat_ for your date." Watching Tyler's face throughout her entire rant she saw not one hint of remorse. No guilt. No sadness. No _fucking_ shame. The only thing she saw was the exasperated look that clearly expressed the annoyance he felt from Bella's questioning.

_Guess wasting two years of your life with someone doesn't earn you an explanation. How dare I! Why the fuck did I put up with this asshole for so long? _

_Oh, looks like he's gonna share a few more words of wisdom. _

"You can't see someone for 12 hours a day, 5 days a week, and not talk to them. She understands what it's like to come from a life where your expected to meet certain standards. It was nice being able to talk to someone in a similar position. I'm more myself with her" said Tyler, shrugging his shoulders.

"I notice you didn't deny having sex with her already."

"Both our families come from old money and my parents would be happier if I'm matched with someone like Tanya. She's sweet and beautiful, yet sophisticated and confident. She's the kind of person my parents expect me to marry and I don't see how I can go wrong with someone with her qualities." Tyler said, easily dismissing Bella's feelings and again ignoring the jab about his questioned infidelity.

"Yeah, got to make sure you keep mommy and daddy happy. Can't risk them kicking you out on your ass." Letting her bitterness for his family bleed through in her words. She's always tried to hide the hurt caused by how his parents often spoke about her.

"Look, we both know that our relationship has hung by a thread for the past month anyway. We both need to just cut all ties and move on with our lives. I don't really know what else you want me to say to you." Tyler sighed

"That's not even up for debate anymore Tyler. At this point I'm just trying to understand everything that's happened." Feeling like she was beating a dead horse, Bella stressed her next words, knowing her time was coming to an end.

"I mean, come on, seriously! Do you genuinely see nothing wrong with how you handled everything?"

Tyler feeling there was nothing more to say, remained silent, his hands shoved into his pockets as he stared at the floor. Recognizing that she had gotten the only answers she would from Tyler, she decided it was time to leave. Walking towards the door with her belongings, Bella paused and turned to look back at him.

"Either you don't see how much you've hurt me, or you simply don't care. I understand couples break up and start new relationships every day.", taking a shaky breath and blinking rapidly to keep her tears from falling.

"But we dated for two years Tyler. Up until a month ago I trusted your honesty when you said "I love you". Jesus, I gave you my fucking virginity! Do you care so little for anyone but yourself, that you can discard me when you see a new toy you want to play with more?", shaking her head in frustration as a single traitorous tear broke free.

"You're a heartless asshole. You and the backstabbing bitch downstairs deserve each other." swiping the tear away, she left him standing there not caring to hear anymore from him.

_I just want to get the hell out of here and as far away from these asshole as I can get! _

**A/N: So I'm not really good at describing what people look like or wear every chapter. I tend to stick to just what's happening. So, to help everyone see what I do when I'm writing, I thought I'd give you some visual aids. So I've created a polyvore account! I'm learning how to do all this so if something's not right, please forgive. I've already posted links for the polyvore sets for chapters 1-7 on my fanfiction profile. Future chapters will always have a notation in the A/N if there is a new set to go with the corresponding chapter. Hope this helps pick up some of the slack for my description failures.**

**Also, we're moving next weekend so I'm not sure if I'll post or not. I've got 2 chapters pre-written so I should be able to, but I don't want to promise it. Have a great weekend!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The plot does belong to me. I don't work with a beta, so all mistakes are mine. The link for this chapter's polyvore set can now be found on my profile page. Enjoy! **

Chapter 8

Leaving the Denali property found Bella in a state of unfocused disarray. She vaguely remembered climbing into Rosalie's truck, but sadly missed the obscene gesture shared out the driver side window. Something that normally would have caused Bella to laugh. Hell, there's been a few times where she had beat her sister to the punch. Now was not one of those times. She felt numb. Headed towards their mother's apartment, her eyes stayed unfocused as they looked upon the endless sea of green forest surrounding Forks.

The Swan parents divorced while Bella was still in high school. Charlie Swan loved his daughters and would do anything in his power to protect them, but he came from a family that didn't often show their emotions. When conversations turned emotional Charlie would get uneasy and leave their mother to manage things. Where he was lacking, Renee excelled and her daughters were better for it. Never a day went by that her daughters didn't know she was there for them. Arms always open when they needed a hug, or a shoulder to cry on when they were troubled. Sadly that was not a connection she shared with her husband anymore.

Their marriage had not always been bad, but over time the lack of emotional communication caused a rift to develop. A distance grew over time; until it resembled the grand canyon. It was during Bella's sophomore year that Renee had reached her breaking point. At a loss about how to repair their marriage, Renee had moved out in the hope that a separation would open Charlie's eyes to how bad it had gotten. His inaction when she moved out spoke loud and clear in her eyes and eventually led to their divorce before Bella's senior year. Since Bella still had one year of high school, it was decided that she would continue to live with Charlie. His income made it more realistic for him to keep the house, while Renee lived in a 2 bedroom apartment big enough for Bella to stay with her occasionally.

At the time of her parents divorce, Rosalie was already married to Emmett McCarty. Rosalie didn't care for school, choosing instead to follow her passion for cars. Harry Clearwater, owner of the local auto repair shop, had given her a chance to prove her worth right out of high school. Astonished by the skill level she already showed, Harry had offered her a full-time job right away. One of the job perks happened to come in the form of a certain dimple faced mechanic.

Emmett McCarty had grown up in Forks, but was always too intimidated to approach her. He had worked as a mechanic at Clearwater Auto for a year when Rosalie approached Harry about a job. Their mutual love for cars finally gave Emmett the opening he needed to talk to her. Two months later he took her on their first date. For their one year anniversary Emmett proposed.

"Well you've got perfect timing, cause I'm knocked up" she'd responded, smiling a mile wide she pounced on him, knocking them both to the ground.

They'd had a small courthouse wedding when Rosalie was 8 months pregnant with their daughter Sara. Only for the surprise arrival of their son, Matthew, the next year.

*()*

Rosalie had called their mother not long after they'd left so Renee would know to expect them. What little she was able to pull together from the mumbled ramblings Bella shared left her with more questions than answers. Knowing her sister's silence was her way of coping with the emotional night did not sit well with her. Bella wasn't one to hold things in. The fact she wasn't screaming obscenities and cursing Tyler's name told her there was more going on then she originally thought.

*()*

Renee had been quietly sitting on her living room couch, waiting for her daughters arrival. Rosalie's short phone call hadn't explained much, but she knew her youngest daughter's relationship ended badly. Lost in thought, she hadn't heard the girls arrive, nor when they let themselves into the apartment. It was the broken timid voice of her baby girl who alerted her of their presence.

"Mama"

"Oh honey" Renee murmured, looking up into Bella's sorrowful eyes, her natural instincts took over.

Falling into her mother's open arms, all the feelings of rage and hurt became too much. Allowing her sobs to break through the wall she'd tried desperately to keep them behind. Finally passing out in exhaustion from the days events.

*()*

"You got her mom?" asked Rosalie. She hated to leave her sister so soon, but she had to get home to help Emmett with the kid's night-time schedule. He'd been home alone for hours with two toddlers and she could only imagine the state she'd find the house in upon her return.

"Yes Rose, she's so emotionally exhausted. I doubt she'll wake up before morning." said Renee. Between the two of them, they'd managed to wake Bella up long enough to get her changed into some pajamas and into the spare bedroom before exhaustion took her again.

"Alright", her hesitation to leave still clear in her voice.

"Rosalie...go", slowly guiding her eldest daughter towards the door.

"Let me take care of your sister and you go save Emmett from pulling all his hair out", Renee chuckled lightly, knowing her grandchildren could be a handful when it came to getting them in bed.

*()*

. . . _Two Days Later_

"Bella, sweetie you need to eat something. How about I make you some eggs and toast for breakfast? You haven't really eaten anything since you got here Friday night." said Renee. She worried her daughter would get sick if she didn't take better care of herself and that boy wasn't worth causing herself more pain. Since arriving Friday evening, Bella had spent most of her time curled up on her bed in the room she kept at Renee's apartment. Managing only to get up to shower and eat some food after her mother had threatened to call Rosalie. As much as she loved sister, she knew that Rosalie wouldn't allow her to wallow for long, and now that's exactly what she wanted to do.

"When will it stop hurting so much mom?" Bella asked quietly while her vision blurred from the tears that seemed to fall constantly since she reached her mother's home.

"I know he's not worth all this. Especially after all the crap he put me through over the last month. But it wasn't always bad mom. When we first started dating he was always so sweet and we had fun together." Bella whimpered before the rage and fury she felt returned. Thinking about how easily she'd been cast aside by someone who claimed to love her for two years. Jumping off the bed she began to pace the bedroom floor. Leaving Renee to watch sorrowfully from the bedroom door.

"It just pisses me off that he strung me along for two years and now I don't even think he cared for barely one of them. Then to find out he's got a date the day he breaks up with me, by text no less, and it's some bitch I once considered a friend! The kicker is that she knew about me and still agreed to the date." Bella spit out bitterly, before falling back to the bed as her shoulders fell down in defeat once again.

"Why didn't I walk away as soon as I knew what he'd been doing? How stupid and pathetic must I look right now?" she whispered so quietly that Renee wasn't sure she was meant to hear the words.

Sensing that her daughter had reached the end of her emotional rambling for the moment, she sat down on the bed and wrapped her arms around her. Pulling from her own experience of depression that followed the failing of her marriage to Charlie, her first love. Renee tried to give her the best response she could.

"Each day it'll get a little easier. Then one day you'll wake up and realize you've gone days without even thinking of the pain. It may not be tomorrow, next week, or even a month from now." said Renee, smoothing her daughter's hair lovingly, while hoping her words would help soothe her baby girl's emotional wounds of first love lost.

"You won't forget. You shouldn't ever forget, because then you'll have taken away nothing from this experience. If anything, this will show you that you're stronger than you think. Maybe tomorrow you'll still wake up and think, "I don't want to get out of bed", but the point is that you will get up eventually. Because life will continue to go on around you and it's your choice to let this break you, or stand up tall and give that little prick the finger."

Chuckling lightly at her mother's attempt at humor, Bella decided it was time to open up to someone about what she'd been hiding for the last month.

"He'd been cheating on me mom." exhaling as the secret escaped her lips.

"I'm so sorry sweetie." she said, momentarily tightening her arms around Bella

"We had a fight about a month ago and I caught something he let slip. I nagged him until he finally confessed to everything."

"Bella...um...sweetie, I don't really know what that must have felt like. Please don't get angry at me for asking this, ... but if you knew he'd been cheating, ... why did you stay sweetheart?" she asked, baffled that her daughter would stay with someone who admitted to infidelity.

"I never thought I'd stay with a cheater. I think a part of me knew it was over the minute he confessed, but I panicked. You know how I've always had low self-esteem. Tyler was my first boyfriend, _first everything_, and even though I knew that I should run away, I was so scared of being alone. That what if he was the best I'm meant to have and I was letting it go without a fight. I kept wondering, "What did I do wrong?" she cried out the last words. Fighting with the shame she felt over her actions following the night she'd found out about Tyler's betrayal. Her head had told her to leave and never look back, but her scared heart hadn't listened.

**A/N:** **Hope you guys are still with me. This was originally two chapters, but they just went better together. Next chapter is a flashback, but that's all I'm gonna say. You want to know, guess you'll have to follow my story and find out. Or not. *snickers* **

**Moving day is upon us, so my weekend will be loads of fun! *rolls eyes* Oh who am I kidding. I can already feel the sore feet and pulled muscles. Hope everyone else has a great weekend, while I sweat my ass off. Yippee!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The plot does belong to me. I don't work with a beta so all mistakes are mine.**

Chapter 9

_. . . later that night_

Bella decided after eating dinner with her mother, that she'd have to return to Charlie's house. She had work the next day and didn't want to rely on other people for transportation. She worked the customer service counter at the local sporting goods store, Newton Outfitter's. It wasn't a glamorous job, but it paid what little bills she had while still living with Charlie.

"I need to get back to dad's house tonight" she sighed

"Are you sure sweetheart? I love having you here. The circumstances suck, but you can stay as long as you need."

"I know mom. Thanks for letting me mope around here this weekend. I have work in the morning and as much as I'd like to just curl up in bed, I don't have anymore clean clothes here. Since Rosalie dropped me off, I don't have my truck, which means I'm gonna need you to take me back to dad's. And I definitely don't want you to have to get up that early just to drive me back. Especially, when you could take me tonight." Bella explained, knowing that neither of them were morning people, her idea of going home tonight was the best for both.

"Alright, let me grab my keys and we'll head over if you're ready."

"Thanks mom."

*()*

The usual sounds of a baseball game could be heard coming from the living room as Bella closed the door of her father's house. She could always count on Charlie to stick to his routine when it came to baseball season. After coming home and grabbing something to eat, he'd head into the living room. There he would stay until the game ended or until he got too frustrated with the players and stomped off to bed.

Peeking around the entryway corner confirmed her thoughts.

"That idiot was out! Open your eyes you moron!" Charlie growled towards the television screen, not noticing Bella had returned home.

He was waiting for the next commercial break to grab another cold beer and sandwich. Bella was usually in charge of making them something for dinner. Not because he wasn't capable, but because she liked cooking.

"So who's winning?"

"Fuck!" he yelped, jumping in his seat. Charlie's head snapped to the left and found Bella's smirking face staring back at him.

Shaking his head, "what did I tell you about sneaking up on me Bella?"

"To wait until you're wearing Depends, so that if I scare the shit out of you, then at least you're ready?" she innocently asked.

"Smart-ass" he muttered

"No, I said that it wasn't nice to spook people" he said sternly, though his eyes showed his amusement. That look quickly faded when he took in the dark circles under her eyes.

Shifting uncomfortably, "you okay Bells?" he asked.

Not wanting to go into detail, Bella shrugged her shoulders and decided to keep it to the basic facts. "Tyler and I broke up Friday. I decided to stay with mom for a few days."

Not knowing what to say, Charlie stuck to what he knew. "Do I need to get my shotgun?" he asked, raising and eyebrow for effect.

"No dad, I just want to try to forget everything that's happened the last month and move on to better things" she said, hoping she could eventually feel as confident about that statement as she sounded. Not wanting to leave the chance that Charlie would ask for more information about her weekend, Bella decided to excuse herself.

"I'm gonna head to bed dad. I've got the opening shift tomorrow and I haven't slept that great this weekend." she said, already headed upstairs to her room.

"Goodnight Bells" he said, watching his daughter's slumped shoulders before turning back to the television.

"Goodnight" she called from the top.

"And I better not find a box of Depends on my bed tomorrow!" he shouted up the stairs, knowing Bella would find great amusement in buying a package just to annoy him.

*()*

Laying awake that night she thought back to the moment she knew her relationship with Tyler was doomed.

_...one month ago..._

_Bella had sat in her truck for almost 10 minutes that night arguing with Tyler about why he hadn't been answering his phone. She'd left him at his parents house a few hours before. Not long after he finally answered her call he'd let it slip that he'd apparently gone out after she'd left. Something he'd eventually been forced to admit had become a habit he'd been doing behind her back. _

"_So let me get this straight, you've gone out to bars alone at night after I go home?" Bella asked, the heavy ball of dread building in her stomach. "What do you do while you're out? Have you been cheating on me?" she asked, her voice shaking from the fear his answer would shatter her heart. The answering silence was all she needed for the tears to begin falling down her cheeks as she realized the man who claimed to love her was a liar._

"_Yes" Tyler finally admitted. _

"_How long has this been going on?" she asked, questions leaving her mouth that her masochistic curiosity was forcing her to ask. Needing to get an idea of how big of a joke he'd made of their relationship and her. _

"_About a year. I don't go out every night. Usually Friday or Saturday. I just go to a bar, pick up a girl and find someplace to fuck. Usually I'll just follow them back to their place, but there's been times where we just looked for a dark area at a park. Sometimes they just blow me in the car " Tyler said, as if it wasn't a big deal. _

"_My god, do you have any feelings for me at all? You asshole, you've been fucking random women for a year, while still having sex with me and telling me you love me!" she cried into the phone. _

_Her mind was running a mile a minute trying to understand what was happening and how she'd been so blind. Then a thought hit her that made her blood run cold._

"_Do you have any idea how many diseases you've exposed me to possibly?" she asked, desperately trying to hold on to her emotions to keep from becoming hysterical. _

"_I've been tested and everything came back clean. Plus, I've always used a condom." Tyler said, as if that would make everything better._

"_I'm coming over, you're not going to explain this crap so easily over the phone. I want to see your face when you answer my questions you asshole." Bella said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. When all she wanted to do was break down and sob for all the betrayal and hurt she felt from a man who claimed to love her for 2 years._

"_Don't come over here" Tyler sternly said. _

"_I'm coming and you damn well better answer the door. Unless you want me to bang on that door til I wake up the house." she said, determined to look at his face when he answered for his betrayal._

_10 minutes later she arrived at the Denali home, well after midnight. Not knowing what she'd say when she was face to face with Tyler. Just knowing she had to make him look her in the eye when he explained his actions. She would not let him take the cowards way out by phone._

_Bella knocked quietly on the front door not sure if she'd have to make good on her words. Tyler opened it seconds later, walking out with a look that could only be described as annoyance and irritation. Obviously having been waiting on her, trusting that she'd make good on her threat to wake the house. Before any words were said and without realizing it was happening, Bella brought her arm back and slapped him as hard as she could. The lingering sting telling her just how much force she'd put behind it._

"_You bastard" she hissed. "What did I ever do to deserve being cheated on for a fucking year?" Bella asked, even though no answer would ever be good enough to mend the shattered heart he'd left in his path._

As Bella lay in her bed remembering the events that played out after arriving at his house that night, she couldn't help but feel weak all over again. She'd always thought she wasn't a woman who'd stay with a cheater. She'd been scared and feared never finding love again so much that she'd fought to stay with him.

Part of her wonders if she had suffered from some form of shock or denial. She knows that it doesn't excuse the stupidity of her actions. Looking back she can't even explain it herself. There's also the more vindictive side of her mind that says a part of her actions were because she simply didn't want to give him the satisfaction of dumping her so easily. That thought alone is idiotic, but it's the only conclusion she can come to without wanting to bash her head into the wall.

They'd stayed together for another month before the fateful text that would be the final nail in the coffin of their relationship.

**A/N: Next chapter we'll have a time jump. Since we moved last weekend, I haven't had a chance to sit down and write any this week. I've got one more pre-written chapter, but that's all right now. Next Friday's posting will depend on me getting another chapter written out first. RL has decided to get pretty hectic so I might skip next week's post or be a few days late. **

**Chapter polyvore link is posted on my profile.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The plot does belong to me. I don't work with a beta, so any mistakes are mine. **

**Chapter 10**

. . . 4_ months later_

"Anyone want another drink?" asked Alice, already getting up to head to the bar. Knowing it would take forever if they relied on the waitress to come around.

"Sure, just one more and then I'm done. I'll drink water the rest of the time we're here so that I'm okay to drive home later." said Bella, while she attempted to sink the ball she had lined up on the table.

"Ohhh, get me a slippery nipple!", squealed Jessica, having already indulged in enough alcohol to make a grown man see double. "I'm gonna head to the ladies and then I'm gonna play the winner!" she shouted from several feet away, headed towards the restrooms.

"If she's playing the winner, then we should place bets. She can't even walk a straight line, let alone play a game of pool. She'll probably nose dive on to the table the first time it's her turn" chuckled Rosalie, shaking her head as she watched Jessica finally stumble her way to the restroom doors successfully.

"Be nice Rosalie" said Bella, though she wouldn't deny her sister's assessment of Jessica.

"I was being nice" stated Rosalie as she leaned against the pool table.

"I just don't get why you're friends with her" Rosalie questioned, letting her dislike for the girl show through. "I mean seriously Bella, when we got here she was smoking a joint in the fucking parking lot!" Rosalie hissed. "The smartest thing that's ever come out of that girl's mouth was probably a penis" she stated bluntly, causing Bella to burst into laughter at the crude humor she shared with her sister.

Rosalie happy to see a real smile on her sister's face for the first time in months decided to allow Jessica's attendance to slide for the time being. She could tell that neither Bella nor Alice cared for the girls alcohol or drug consumption, but also knew that they couldn't bring themselves to exclude the girl when she'd excitedly asked to be included in their girls night out. Jessica worked at the Starbucks that Bella and Alice visited almost daily to satisfy their morning indulgence. Having heard the discussion that morning of a girls night, Jessica had quickly asked if they would mind her tagging along. While Jessica didn't always make the best decisions and came across as rather shallow a fair amount of the time, Bella couldn't help but think that she just needed a few friends. Something she herself had needed, not so long ago.

As Bella waited for their drinks, she couldn't help but think about the events that had brought Alice back into her life, just when she needed her most.

…_...flashback... 3 months ago_

Not long after her break up with Tyler, Bella had decided she needed a change. The constant reminders of her relationship with Tyler were hard to avoid while living in Forks. Bella wanting to get away from the memories and start fresh was planning a move to Seattle, but first she needed a job. She'd been putting in applications anywhere she could when she had run into Alice Cullen and her mother, Esme, at a furniture store.

Alice's father, Carlisle Cullen, was the owner of a small trucking company when the girls were growing up. When Carlisle had received the offer to create a larger company in California with his brother-in-law, Edward, it was too good to pass up. The Cullen's moved the summer before the girls started seventh grade, and sadly Alice and Bella's friendship had been lost.

In the years since the move, C&M trucking had made a name for itself. When the partners finally decided it was time to expand, Carlisle offered to open a new location back in Seattle. He knew how much his wife missed living in Washington and after uprooting his family nine years ago he wasn't going to pass up the chance to move back. Alice had studied business in college and jumped at the chance to move back with her parents to help manage the office. Neither expected to run into anyone they knew from Forks so quickly after relocating, but they were pleasantly surprised to run into Bella while shopping for office furniture. Hoping to help her daughter reconnect with her childhood friend, Esme had insisted Bella join them for lunch.

"So what brought you to Seattle today Bella?" asked Esme, after they placed their lunch orders.

"I've just decided I need a change and it's not easy to do that while living in a small town like Forks. So I'm up here putting in job applications, hoping I'll find work so that I can move to Seattle." said Bella. Careful to leave out anything that might lead to the topic of Tyler.

"You know, my husband is starting up a new office and looking for an extra office assistant. You should come with us after we finish eating and talk to him about the job. It's nothing too difficult and I'm almost positive he'd hire you on the spot Bella." said Esme, hoping that Bella would want to apply for the job.

Esme Cullen had hoped for a large family, but after complications during Alice's birth, it just wasn't in the cards for them. She'd always enjoyed when Bella came to play with Alice as a child and had fond memories of baking cookies with the girls. Bella had been such a constant fixture in their home when the girls were younger that she simply considered her family. She wasn't sure what had happened, but she could tell by the dark shadows under Bella's eyes that something was causing her distress. If moving to Seattle would help return the light that had for whatever reason dulled in Bella's eyes, then Esme Cullen was going to help her anyway she could.

Bella had indeed met with Carlisle about the job opening and accepted that same day. She would be helping Alice with the phones, scheduling loads, and processing the paperwork required to make sure everything ran smoothly between shipping and receiving. The job wasn't complicated, and definitely didn't deserve the hourly pay that Carlisle was starting her at, but she wasn't about to turn it down. Nor did she turn down Alice's offer to become roommates. Everything happened so quickly that she almost thought she was dreaming, but happily accepted the good luck fate had brought to her.

…_...back to present time..._

"Bella? You okay?" asked Alice. She'd come back from the bar with their drinks to find Bella staring out the pool hall windows, lost in thought while Rosalie had stepped outside to call Emmett and tell the kids goodnight.

"Yeah, I'm okay Alice. Just thinking about everything that's happened in the last few months" said Bella. She'd broken down one night, not long after they'd moved in together and spilled the story of what happened with Tyler.

"You know what you need Bella?" asked Alice with a mischievous smile.

"What do I need Alice?" asked Bella, already shaking her head at the look of mischief on Alice's face.

"You need to get laid!" Jessica squealed loudly, having returned from the bathroom unnoticed by them.

"Umm, while I'm sure that would be nice too...what I was going to say was..." cut off before she could continue both girls turned to the sound of Jessica's drunken giggling.

"A nice comfortable screwwww" she slurred

Turning to look at each other in amusement, Bella noticed that Rosalie had rejoined the group and looked deep in thought

"Put the P in the V" said Rosalie. Noticing the open mouth stares she decided to clarify something, "I got that one from Emmett, he loves "Superbad".

Taping her chin, "Log jamming", shared a serious looking Alice, nodding at her choice

The three women looked expectantly at Bella, _obviously it's my turn..._

"Shattering the meat tunnel" she smirked, confident in her choice

"Beating the pussy up!" giggled Jessica

The girls lost their composure at Jessica's last suggestion and all started laughing uncontrollably.

Once they all calmed down, they decided to call it a night. Jessica was seeing double, Rosalie promised to be home before midnight, and Bella and Alice both had work early in the morning.

Twenty minutes later Bella and Alice were entering their apartment building and ready to crash for the night.

Pausing at her bedroom door, Alice realized she had never finished giving Bella her real suggestion earlier.

"Bella"

Stopping at her door, "Yeah, Alice?, a yawn slipping through

"Earlier, before we got started on the sex lingo game" snickers, clearing her throat before continuing.

"Anyway, what I was going to suggest was that maybe it's time for you to try opening yourself back up to the idea of dating?"

Shaking her head at Alice's words before she'd even finished the statement, Alice held her hand up to cut her off before she could verbally refuse her

"Now before you say no, I'm not talking about starting anything serious right away. Just a night out with a nice guy, dinner, maybe just meet someone for coffee. You've got to start somewhere and the longer you wait the harder it'll be to get back out there." taking Bella's silence as a good sign, she decided to leave it at that and let Bella process the idea.

"Just think about it, okay?

"Alright, I'll think about it." sighing at her friends triumphant smile

"I said I'd _think_ about it Alice, not that I was agreeing with it yet" another yawn escaping

"That's all I ask B. Now get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning" said Alice, before shutting her door

Fifteen minutes later, having removed her make-up and exchanged her bar clothes for her comfortable sleep pants and tank, Bella lay in bed considering Alice's suggestion.

_Was she ready to put herself out there again?_

**A/N: This is a slow burn, but I promise you that Edward will show up in a few chapters. Now that we're settled in our new home I've getting more time to write. I'm hoping that I can get more writing done so that I can update more than once a week, but for now we'll stick with Friday updates. **

**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I've got a strange sense of humor, so what I find funny others don't.**

**The polyvore link for this chapter is already on my profile. **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The plot does belong to me. I don't work with a beta, so all mistakes are my own. **

**Surprise! I've got family staying with us this weekend, so I'm posting a day early this week. Enjoy!**

Chapter 11

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this" Bella whined, having just finished allowing Alice to torture her before her date that night. A date she still couldn't believe she'd agreed to go on in the first place.

Heading into the living room, the girls sat on the couch to watch television til it was time for her to head to the restaurant. The one smart thing she'd done when agreeing to this train wreak in the making, was to tell Jessica she didn't want a stranger picking her up at home.

"Oh, I don't think so" said Alice plopping down beside Bella while muffling giggles at her friend's obvious distress behind a rather unbelievable cough.

"I said you needed to go on a coffee date. Not that you should agree to go on a blind date" Alice pointed out, rolling her eyes at the pout that had become permanently attached to her friends face all day.

"Especially not a date set up by Jessica", said Alice. Her giggles finally breaking through as she watched Bella's face scrunch up like a child who didn't get their way.

Thirty minutes later, Bella arrived with five minutes to spare before the agreed upon time and followed the hostess to a table.

*()*

Twenty minutes, a glass of wine, and basket of bread sticks later. Bella was about to ask for the check when she finally saw the hostess walking towards her table, followed by who she could only assume was her obviously _punctual_ date. As the man sat down across from her, Bella's first thought was that Rosalie would have a field day if she was here. The man before her at first sight was quite attractive, but his clothes choice for a blind date sent up a red flag. He had on cargo pants, a backwards cap, and a t-shirt with the phrase "FBI - Female Body Inspector" in big bold letters.

_Well, this is gonna be an interesting night_, thought Bella.

"Hey babe, you Bella? I'm Alec. I got caught up watching an episode of Cathouse and almost forgot about you" chuckled Alec, clearly not seeing anything wrong with that statement or feeling the need to apologize for being so late.

"I'll have whatever is on tap tonight, an order of cheese fries and a cheese burger" he told the waitress, cutting Bella off before she'd had time to respond.

"For you ma'am?" asked the waitress, while giving Bella an obvious look of pity.

_Hmm, I wonder if she'd help me slip out through the back?, _thought Bella.

"I'll just have a caesar salad, thank you" she told the waitress, grimacing as she began listening to Alec talk about himself. There wasn't a chance in hell she was gonna sit through a whole meal with this guy. She'd already determined that she must have gotten a contact high from Jessica the night she agreed to this disaster.

_I wonder if he'd notice if I went to the bathroom and never came back? _

_*()*_

"Seriously, it's not that damn funny!" Bella shouted, Alice and Rosalie were laughing like hyenas as she gave them the details of her blind date nightmare.

She had returned home from the date to find her sister and Alice waiting for her on the couch drinking wine. They had ordered her to change out of her date clothes and then return to the couch so they could get all the details of her blind date.

"Ok, ok, ok, we're sorry" said Alice...giggles...clears throat...giggles...

"We'll calm down" chuckled Rosalie, "Please continue" she said, while nudging a still giggling Alice.

Once they both took a deep breath and seemed to have a handle on their laughter, Bella begrudgingly continued her dinner tale.

"Where was I" she muttered to herself

"Your date had just offered you a hit off his joint", said Alice, snickering

"Oh yeah, so I could tell he was trying for clever and I didn't want to encourage him. So I simply said, "No thank you, I don't smoke".

"Alec had just taken a huge bite of his burger and found my comment hilarious for some reason. So much so that he bust out laughing and spewed food all over the table!" shaking her head at the memory she continued

"That's how the date went. He chewed with his mouth open, talked with his mouth full, and kept spewing crumbs everywhere on the table."

"At one point he even reached over to pick up a large crumb, put it back in his mouth, and then told me "I love a good conversation" she said, impersonating a deep male voice.

"What conversation! The moron barely let me say anything, and after his food arrived he started stuffing his face." she shrieked

"I'm sorry your date was such a bust Bella." said Rosalie, throwing her arm over Bella's shoulder

"So what made you finally get out of there?" asked Alice, knowing there was more to the disgusted look Bella had on her face when she'd returned home.

"Oh, that would be when Alec jumped up from the table and ran to the restroom for nearly 15 minutes" said Bella, downing the rest of her wine

"Well that's not a big deal. So he had to go the restroom. What did he do that was so bad?" Alice asked frowning, confused why that would be such a problem

"What did he do you ask?" said Bella, sitting forward to pour herself another glass of wine.

"I'll tell you what he did. He came back from the bathroom, hung what looked like a pair of nasty underwear on the back of his chair, and then proceeded to tell me "don't worry, I always carry a spare".

Sitting back with her now full wine glass, she turned to see both girls looking back at her with mouths open and looks of disbelief on their face.

"You're shitting me? Right?" asked a stunned Rosalie. Alice seemed to have become mute in her shocked state.

"No, Rosalie, I am not shitting you. He was also nice enough to tell the waitress that they might want to send a maintenance worker to check out the men's room. According to him someone must have had something that didn't agree with them and they'd left the bathroom "pretty ripe and backed up something nasty" said Bella, shuttering at the disgusting memories

"That was the last straw. I told him that I received an important phone call while he was in the bathroom and had to leave. Threw twenty dollars down for my share of the check and ran my ass out of there."

They all sat in silence as the details played out in their minds.

A loud snort, followed by uncontrollable laughter broke the silence as Alice finally lost it. Both girls barely making out her mumbles behind her laughter.

"He hit on you"...giggles, "spit on you"...giggles, snort... "and then shit on you", Alice had tears running down her face and was bright red at this point from her uncontrollable laughter.

"He didn't shit on me Alice" shrieked Bella, nearly choking on her wine at Alice's comment

"Well, he basically shit on your date with his actions all night. Plus, based on what you said, he literally went and took a shit while you were waiting at the table" stated a straight-faced Rosalie, the red color of her face giving away how hard she was trying not to bust out laughing.

"Ugh, I'm never going on a blind date again." said Bella, shaking her head at Alice and Rosalie's tipsy giggling.

"Yeah, it was a pretty shitty night" snickered Rosalie

**A/N: Alright people, I'm getting a little discouraged from the lack of response from readers. Should I continue with this story or call it a day? I know you're probably sitting around wondering "Where the fuck is Edward?" Well, you'll finally get a glimpse of him next chapter and then you'll get another treat in chapter 13. *whispers* I wrote my 1st lemon. **

**Anyway, I don't care if you review to simply say "well it didn't suck" or "I've read worse", cause believe me I know that there are some really bad ones out there. Either way, share some love people. **

**Check out the chapter polyvore on my profile. See you next week!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The plot does belong to me. I don't work with a beta, so all mistakes are my own. This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction.**

**Chapter 12**

The weekend went by without too much mention of Bella's disastrous blind date. Something she was happy to pretend never happened. Jessica was shocked the date wasn't more of a success, not understanding how anyone could find a problem with a man as attractive as Alec.

_Yeah, he was...something, _Bella thought sarcastically as they left with their morning coffee. It was Monday, always a busy day at the office for both girls. Which was confirmed when they arrived at work to hear the phone already ringing even before office hours began.

*()*

"Bella I'm going to run down the street and get us some lunch. How does Chinese sound?" asked Alice, already holding her purse to head out the door.

"That sounds really good. Get me some egg rolls and beef lo mien please." said Bella

"Alright, I'll try to hurry back. Hopefully the lull in phone calls will carry over until after I get back." said Alice, letting the door close behind her.

_ring ring ring_

_Wow, the silence lasted a whole whopping 20 seconds_

Staring daggers at the ringing office phone, Bella took a deep breath before answering what felt like the millionth call that day

"C&M Trucking" said Bella

"Yeah, is Alice there?" asked a warm masculine voice

"Um, no, I'm sorry. Alice stepped out for a few minutes. May I take a message?"

"Just ask her to call her cousin when she gets back in please"

"Alright, I'll let her know as soon as she gets back...um..." said Bella, shaking her head. She remembered Alice had a cousin, but couldn't remember his name.

"I'm sorry, what was your name?" she asked

"Edward. Thanks...um, sorry, I don't know you're name either" a deep chuckle coming through the phone

"Oh,... my name is Bella."

"Alright Bella, if you could just let Alice know I called I'd really appreciate it." the sound of his sultry voice causing chill bumps to run up her arms

"Sure, she should be back soon, and I'll let her know to call you back Edward." said Bella, trying to shake off the strange response she had to his voice.

Not having any reason to stay on the line, they both hung up and Bella pushed away her reaction to the man's voice and got back to work. The sound of the office door opening and the smell of Chinese food caught her attention, looking at the clock she realised thirty minutes had passed since Alice left.

"Did you go to China for it?" chuckled Bella, saving and closing the file she'd been working on.

"Sorry it took so long, I managed to catch the lunch rush" said Alice, putting the bags down on her desk.

"Plus, some uptight moron was pitching a fit because he ordered egg rolls and they forgot to give him soy sauce", rolling her eyes she continued, "I mean how dare they forget to give him the free soy sauce packets." she said sarcastically. "Can you believe that shit? What a prick." rolling her eyes at some people's stupidity.

Standing up to grab her food, Bella told Alice about the missed call from her cousin Edward.

"Oh, I'll call him back real quick before I eat." said a suddenly very chipper Alice

Trying to seem less obvious about eavesdropping, Bella focused her attention on eating her beef lo mien, while trying to make sense of Alice's phone conversation.

"Eddie!" squealed Alice into her phone, followed by an eye roll and giggles

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know I only call you that cause it bugs you." said a smiling Alice.

"Now when are you gonna come see me?"

"mmhm"

"mmhm"

"Really!"

"When?"

The office phone ringing forced Bella to focus on work. She spent ten minutes speaking with one of their truck driver's trying to explain why he would lose his job if he got a third speeding ticket while driving a company truck. C&M Trucking had a strict three strikes and your out rule that all the driver's had to adhere to.

"Just let me know when and I'll help you get settled if you need it" said a now beaming Alice

"Okay, I'll talk to you later. Love you too" she said, concluding the call.

Not wanting to sound too curious, but wanting to know more about Alice's cousin, she tried to think of ways to nonchalantly ask about Edward. Luckily, she didn't have to think long, because Alice was anxious to share anyway.

"Guess what. My cousin Edward is going to move to Seattle." said an excited Alice

"Oh yeah, is that what he was calling about?"

"Yeah. He's got some things to finish up in California and wants to stay there through the holidays. He's a truck driver for C&M Trucking out of the office Uncle Ed runs. He's been dating some girl named Lauren and I'm hoping that his decision to move means he's finally getting tired of her crap. Not my story to tell though." said Alice, rambling happily about her cousin and eating her lunch.

"Well..." the office phone ringing cut off Bella before she could continue and sadly the day didn't slow down. Meaning she didn't learn much more about Edward. She did manage to learn that Edward was the only child of Edward and Elizabeth Masen and that Elizabeth was Esme's older sister.

*()*

The work week went by quickly after that and Bella didn't hear any mention of Alice's cousin again. Having already put it in the back of her mind Bella was ready to enjoy her weekend and get some cleaning and laundry done around the apartment. Alice was going on a date with a guy she'd met while watching the soy sauce fiasco earlier in the week. They'd already met for a few coffee dates, and even a quick-lunch date, but tonight was the first chance Bella had to meet the man who'd enamored Alice so quickly.

"So I'm not sure when I'll be home. Jasper and I decided to go to dinner and a movie, but depending on how the date goes we might go clubbing after the movie." said Alice, coming into the living room where Bella was relaxing on the couch.

"So you really like this guy, huh Alice?" asked Bella

"Yeah, he's really sweet. Plus, I already kind of know him through my cousin. I'd never actually spent much time with him before, but Edward and he went to school together when they were kids. When we moved to California they were already in high school and I still didn't really like boys at that point. By the time I did like them, Jasper had already started driving over the road and I hardly saw him. When I ran into him earlier this week, he was actually here to find an apartment." said Alice

"So they're both moving to Seattle?" asked Bella, curious about why both guys would choose to move

"Yeah, Jasper doesn't have much family, and doesn't really talk to the them anyway. When Edward brought up the idea of moving, Jasper decided he wanted a change of scenery too. Dad had a driver put in his notice and with the holidays approaching, he needed to fill the position quickly. So Jasper agreed to move up earlier than planned." said Alice, a knock on the door ending their conversation.

"I'll get it!" Bella said, literally jumping off the couch to get to the door before Alice could deny her the opportunity to grill her date.

"Bellaaa, I really like Jasper" whined Alice, slipping her jacket on as she sent Bella a wide-eyed plea.

"Geez, Alice, I'm not gonna scare him off. I just want to meet him. Plus, this is payback for the grilling you gave me after the blind date that will not be named" she muttered, sending a glare to Alice for snickering before turning to open the door.

"Sup" she said, throwing in a head pop for fun. Alice's quiet groans of embarrassment barely reaching Bella's ears made it hard for her to stay in character.

"Um, hello, you must be Alice's roommate, Bella. I'm Jasper Whitlock" he said smiling, his arm raising to shake her hand.

Putting on her best impression of an overprotective father grilling his daughter's first date, she narrowed her eyes at Jasper and decided to have a little fun.

Bella ignored his outstretched hand and took note of the beautiful lavender rose he was holding.

_Aww, how sweet. Alice will love that! _

_Damn it! Focus!_

"That's nice. So Jasper, what are your intentions with Alice? She said you're going to a movie, you know what happens in movie theaters? Inappropriate touching. You know what that leads to? Babies. Are you ready to be knocked up?" asked Bella her face pinching from trying not to laugh at the way Jasper's mouth dropped and his eyes seemed to slowly widen the further she went.

"Huh" said a dazed looking Jasper, his hand still stretched out in front of him

"Oh my god, Bella!" shrieked Alice, her face flaming red, as she came around the door to see Jasper's shocked face.

Looking between Alice and Jasper's facial expressions of embarrassment and shock, Bella couldn't help but start laughing, her arms wrapped around her stomach as she bent at the waist.

"I'm just fucking with you Jasper" snickered Bella, wiping tears from her flushed cheeks.

"I'm sorry Jasper, Bella thinks she's a comedian and is also getting me back for allowing her to go on a blind date she blames me for. Which, was not my fault may I remind you Bella" she muttered the last part to her friend.

Shaking his head, Jasper saw the innocent humor on Bella's face and the slight amusement starting to show on Alice's. "Well, I can tell dating Alice will never be dull with friends like you", finally shaking Bella's hand he turned to offer the rose to Alice and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"You look beautiful Alice" his eyes never leaving Alice's face, showed Bella how much Mr. Whitlock was already quite enamored with her best friend.

*()*

Having started her laundry and wanting to hold off on cleaning until the next day, Bella decided to browse Facebook for a while. Alice was shocked Bella didn't already have one before moving to Seattle and set it up for her. She had been browsing profiles and playing candy crash..._fucking level 65_... for about 20 minutes when her computer indicated a new private message and friend request.

_Jacob Black wants to be your friend_

_To: Isabella Swan_

_From: Jacob Black_

_ Hey there! Not sure you remember me, but we used to play together on the beach in La Push when we were little. Came across your name on here and thought I'd see what you'd been up too. I moved away from La Push a few years ago and live in Oregon now. I'm a State Park Ranger up here so I don't make it down there to visit my dad very often. I'm coming down in the next week or two and thought maybe we could get together for coffee. I didn't know if you would be comfortable with that since we haven't seen each other in years and thought we could talk on here a bit before my visit. Let me know. Hope to hear from you soon._

_ Jacob_

The message stunned Bella. She remembered Jacob Black vaguely growing up. Her father was friends with Billy Black, but they'd had a falling out several years ago and now she very rarely even heard the name. She wasn't sure what had caused the rift, but she had her suspicions that it had involved her mother. She browsed Jacob's profile page and it showed a few pictures of a very attractive, Native American man with russet skin and short black hair. Not seeing the harm, she decided to answer him back.

_To: Jacob Black_

_From: Isabella Swan_

_ Hello Jacob,_

_I do remember you from when we were kids. That seems like such a long time ago. I wouldn't mind getting to know you again through messages, and then we'll see about the coffee. I'm not living in Forks anymore, I moved to Seattle a few months ago. Not sure what else to say, maybe we could play 20 questions? _

_ Bella_

_*()*_

The weekend passed quickly and the work week was beginning before Bella could believe. She'd spent all day Saturday messaging back and forth with Jacob, having exchanged phone numbers Friday night.

The next few weeks continued much the same way. She went to work and they would text throughout the day and he'd call a few times a week to talk to her even if for only a few minutes.

"So, I'm coming down to see my dad this weekend. It's going to be late, but I was wondering if you were available to get together for coffee. I'm heading back early Sunday morning so I could stop in Seattle and meet you somewhere if you would like." offered Jacob

"Sure, that sounds great. Just let me know when you're on your way and I'll give you directions on where to meet me" said Bella, feeling nervous butterflies in her stomach at the idea of meeting up with Jacob.

They had talked for almost two weeks straight and while neither had openly addressed it, the subtle flirting Jacob would drop often made her wonder if he was interested in more than friendship. Alice's words of encouragement about getting back into the dating world had floated around in her head and she had decided it was time for her to really start living again.

**A/N: Hey everyone! So I thought I'd address something. If you haven't figured it out yet, this is a slow burn to E/B. The whole point of this story is to show how events, good or bad, shape our lives. For example, if Tyler had never broken Bella's heart by cheating, she might never have moved to Seattle and reconnected with Alice. If she hadn't met Alice then there is a good chance she'd never meet Edward either. Without the bad experiences leading Bella, she might never find the good at the end of the tunnel. Edward. I'm all for a HEA with E/B, but my story is meant to be more realistic. Very few people find their forever with the first guy they date and that's what this is about. **

**I'm still a little bummed by the lack of reviews, but I'm thankful for the few people who like it enough to read it at least. My chapters seem to slowly be getting longer and we FINALLY got our first glimpse of Edward this chapter. The wait is almost over people! Once Edward shows up, he'll be sticking around.**

**Check my profile for the chapter 12 polyvore link.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The plot does belong to me. I don't work with a beta, so all mistakes are my own. Longest chapter yet! We're going to have a few time jumps in this chapter to help speed things along.**

**Warning: This chapter has a small lemon, my first, so be gentle with your criticism.**

**Chapter 13**

Bella had chosen a different coffee shop than the one Jessica worked at for her meeting with Jacob. She told Alice where she would be, but she didn't want Jessica's prying eyes on her the whole time. She was nervous enough about seeing him in person after talking to him for two weeks by phone and text.

She had just looked down at her watch to check the time when she heard someone enter the shop. Looking up and towards the door, she saw Jacob had entered the shop and was looking around for her. Meeting her eyes he gave a little wave and smile before indicating he was going to order his coffee before joining her at the table.

"Hey, you look just as beautiful as I remember" said Jacob, reaching over to hug a blushing Bella.

"Hi Jacob. How was your visit with your father?" asked Bella

"It was really good, I need to get down here to see him more often. Of course, having a new incentive to drive through Seattle makes me want to visit him more too."

"Well, Seattle does have good coffee" said a chuckling Bella, wishing her blush would fade away.

They continued their conversation and flirting for an hour before Jacob had to leave to return home. Walking Bella out of the coffee shop, Jacob boldly took her hand, bringing it up to kiss as they reached her car in the parking lot.

"I really had a good time seeing you today Bella. I'm hoping you did too, enough that you'll agree to a date the next time I can make it down here." said Jacob, still holding on to her hand.

Looking down at their hands, Bella lifted her head to look at Jacob's anxious face, deciding to take a chance.

"I'd really like that Jacob" said Bella, a shy smile on her face

"Yeah?"

Bobbing her head, "Yeah"

"Well alright then. I'll check my schedule as soon as I get to work tomorrow and see when the next time I can come visit will be. Then we can set up something. Sound good?"

"Yes, that sounds good to me" said Bella, noticing Jacob's eyes had flickered down to her lips before returning to her eyes

"I'd really like to kiss you Bella" he whispered

Biting her lip "Well then why don't you?"

Chuckling at her question he leaned forward until their lips met in a gentle kiss before applying slightly more pressure and pulling back.

"I'll talk to you soon Bella" he said, opening her door for her

"Goodbye Jacob" she said, having gotten in and started her truck.

Watching from her rear view mirror she watched Jacob go the opposite direction and couldn't help but notice the smile on her face. Maybe things were going to start getting better for her finally.

*()*

Sadly Jacob was only able to come visit twice in the two months following their coffee date. That didn't mean they didn't continue to talk over the phone when they could. Most of their chats were held via text, but she loved the times when they could speak, even if that usually occurred late at night.

There first date, Jacob had taken her on a romantic picnic in Kerry Park overlooking the Seattle skyline. Jacob had walked Bella up to her apartment door, kissing her much more passionately than the previous kiss, and then leaving her with promises to see her again soon.

Their second date, they went for the typical dinner and a movie, which found them making out in the theater like teenagers. Once again Jacob returned her to her doorstep, leaving her panting from their goodbye kisses, and whispering promises of the future.

Tomorrow would be their third date, and while Bella wasn't ready to jump into sex with Jacob, she was hoping they could progress things beyond the stage of kissing.

"I'm gonna head down tomorrow after work so it'll be late when I get there. I've got a hotel room booked through Saturday night and then I'll head home Sunday like I did last time. I wish I could stay longer, but we're short-handed now. One of the guys broke his leg, so I'm gonna be working a lot until he can come back on duty." said Jacob

"Alright, well do you have any idea what you would like to do for our date?" asked Bella

"Um, well I'm open to suggestions. I wouldn't be opposed to something a little relaxing. I'm not sure when I'll be able to come visit again so I'd really just like to spend as much time with you as I can." said Jacob

"Well, how about we just play it by ear during the day and then maybe I could make us dinner at my apartment? I'm pretty sure Alice is spending the weekend with Jasper, so we'll have the place to ourselves." realizing how her suggestion might sound she quickly went to correct any assumptions Jacob might have begun having

"Um, that's not to mean there will be any reason for us to need privacy. I just thought it would be nice to relax and watch a movie on the couch...fully clothed...wow, I'm gonna shut up now." rambled Bella, thankful she wasn't having this conversation in person.

Laughter brought Bella back from her thoughts.

"It's okay Bella, I know what you meant. We'll have a nice quiet dinner at your apartment if you're really okay with cooking and watch a movie. If anything happens beyond kissing it'll be because we're both comfortable with the idea. I'll just be happy to spend the evening with you alone." said Jacob, soothing Bella's embarrassment.

*()*

"Bella, I'm heading over to Jasper's place. You still having Jacob over for dinner tomorrow night?" asked Alice.

Both girls had just finished their work week and while Bella was making a grocery list, Alice was pestering her about her plans for the weekend.

"Yes, Alice. Why all of a sudden does it seem like you don't like Jacob? You're the one who told me I needed to get back into the dating world." said Bella, curious about Alice's sudden prodding.

"I know what I said. When you told me that you had started talking to someone I was thrilled and even happier when you went on an actual date." said Alice, knowing that if she didn't voice her concerns carefully she would have a pissed off Bella to deal with.

"I'm just concerned that you hardly get to talk to him on the phone. I know you guys text a lot, but I don't think I've ever actually seen you talk to him on the phone." she said gently.

"Just because you don't see me talk to him, doesn't mean we don't talk on the phone Alice." said a surprisingly calm Bella.

"I know that, it just seems odd that the only time he can call you is mainly late at night. I'm sorry if I'm making something out of nothing, but it just makes me a little wary of him. I hope I'm wrong, but just be careful until you can confirm that I'm not. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt again." said Alice, hoping her Bella would listen to her words of caution.

*()*

Alice's words continued to float around Bella's head the rest of the night, but she pushed them away the next morning. She didn't want to let them taint her mood or ruin her date with Jacob. They hadn't made anything official and talking on the phone and a few dates didn't give her a right to police over his every move.

"Wow Bella, that was delicious" said a satisfied Jacob.

Bella had made a simple meal of spaghetti with meatballs, garlic toast and red wine.

"Thank you, I'm glad you liked it so much. Just leave the dishes in the sink. I'll just put the leftovers in the refrigerator and then clean up the dishes later" said Bella, grabbing her wine glass off the table to follow Jacob into the living room.

Sitting both there glasses down on the coffee table, the two sat down on the couch together. Jacob with his arm around Bella's shoulder, pulling her into his side.

"So did you want to watch a movie still or just talk?" asked Bella, nervous about what might or might not happen now that they had finished dinner. Noticing Jacob's lack of response Bella brought her head up to look at him. The look of lust and want on his face made Bella's body flush with excitement. While she wasn't ready for sex, she damn sure was a healthy woman who hadn't been intimate with a man in several months.

Noticing Jacob's body leaning towards her, Bella decided to meet him half way. Their kiss started out gentle and sweet, but quickly turned hard and passionate. Jacob's mouth devoured Bella's while his hands starting wandering her body. Spending so much time flirting with Jacob and knowing his desire for her had caused Bella's body to be in a constant state of arousal when they spoke lately. Just hearing his voice caused her body to shudder with arousal. Deciding to let herself enjoy the feel of another man's desire for the first time in months, Bella reciprocated his actions.

One of his hands found her breast and began brushing his thumb over her aroused nipple. While the other wrapped around her body to pull her underneath his, allowing his very prominent erection to press against Bella. The lust that coursed through her body as she felt him rubbing his cock against her made her to wrap her legs around his waist. Feeling his hand leave her breast, it made its way down to her edge of her panties. The pleasure she felt, made her very happy she'd decided to wear a skirt tonight.

"You're so fucking warm, Bella. Let me make you feel good baby." murmured Jacob, his fingers gliding over the edge of her soaked panties.

"Ugh, yes" she panted out, right before his fingers slipped underneath her panties and began rubbing her clit.

"God, you're so wet. I'm gonna make you cum so hard baby" he groaned, rubbing his hard cock against her thigh, while stoking her pussy. Pressing two fingers inside of her, he worked them in and out, bringing her to the brink before slowing his pace to keep her from cumming too quickly.

Wanting nothing more than to feel him, Bella made quick work of his zipper and slipped her hand into his boxers, grabbing his rock hard cock, feeling the bead of cum on his tip.

"uhh, fuck Bella, god baby, you're gonna make me cum like a school boy, you keep jerking me like that. Fuck yeah" he panted

"oh Jacob, that feels soooo...ugh" shuttered Bella, feeling Jacob's fingers stroking in and out of her pussy while his thumb rubbed against her clit. "I'm...gonna...oh, ugh" she panted, feeling her body clench on his fingers as they brought her to orgasm. Panting she realized that she had stopped stroking Jacob in her moments of pleasure.

"Oh yeah" Jacob panted into Bella's neck as she stroked his erection. Spreading the pre-cum for lubrication she steadily worked towards her goal. Kissing her way down his neck, she suckled on his ear, feeling Jacob's mouth reciprocating on her neck.

Feeling him begin to tense up and moan moments later, she ran her thumb over his tip feeling his cock grow even harder and his body go rigid as he ejaculated cum all over her hand.

Panting as they both came down from their orgasms, Jacob went to the spare bathroom to clean himself up, while Bella went to her own and did the same. A few minutes later found them both satisfied and curled up together enjoying a movie.

*()*

"Let me know when you make it home safely. Okay?" Bella asked, still groggy from the early hour. Jacob had left her apartment well after midnight, but had promised to call Bella when he got on the road to head home.

"I will. Don't forget, I'll be working overtime for a while to help cover for Sam being off for the next few weeks. Plus, with the holidays coming I'm not sure if I'll be able to visit again for a while. A few of the guys requested vacation time, so I probably won't make it to Forks this year for Thanksgiving or Christmas. My dad said something about coming up here for Thanksgiving since I'll be working a lot." said Jacob

"Alright. Well, I'll be in Forks for both. Try not to work too hard" she said, sad that they wouldn't be able to talk much and not knowing when she'd see him again.

"Go back to sleep Bella. You're exhausted and at least one of us should get to sleep. I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye"

Placing her phone on the nightstand she curled up in her sheets, and fell back to sleep with a smile on her face.

*()*

Thanksgiving ended up being a much bigger event than it had been in the past few years. Originally Bella had planned to drive to Forks and split the day between her parents. Usually she would end up staying at her mother's for the night and get up early to brave the stores with her sister and mother for Black Friday shopping.

What ended up happening was a huge get together at the Cullen's house in Seattle. Only Esme could sweet talk everyone into driving up from Forks to enjoy the holiday together. Charlie only came up for the day and drove back that night, but Renee decided to spend the night at the Cullen's after Esme brought out her old photo albums and started reminiscing.

*()*

Jasper not having any family to spend the holiday with was prepared to spend it alone. Usually he spent the holiday with the Masen's in California, but he was going there for Christmas so he had decided to spend Thanksgiving alone. That wouldn't do for Elizabeth Masen. When Edward had told her about Jasper's plans to spend Thanksgiving alone she had immediately called Esme.

That's what led to Carlisle showing up on Jasper's doorstep at 9 o'clock, Thanksgiving morning, and telling him to get dressed so he could come eat with the rest of the family. When Jasper protested about not being family, Carlisle simply laughed.

"Jasper, my sister-in-law thinks of you as another son and that alone makes you family. Plus, you're dating my daughter and from working with you, I know you're a very nice young man. Now you can make this easy, get dressed, and come eat some turkey or you can be difficult. Which means I will have to call my wife Esme, and that means your phone will ring pretty soon after. I'll bet you a hundred dollars that it will be my brother-in-law, Ed, calling on his wife's orders, to tell you to get your ass dressed and go eat some turkey." said a confident looking Carlisle

"Um, thank you sir...Give me ten minutes?" asked a humble Jasper

"Good choice" chuckled Carlisle

*()*

Rosalie, Emmett and the kids had driven up the day before and originally planned to get a hotel room, but they too had been persuaded by Esme to stay at the Cullen's home. She told them it was good practice for when Alice decided to give her some grandchildren of her own. Nobody missed the wink she sent towards a shocked Jasper and mortified looking Alice.

After everyone had settled at the table and began enjoying their meal, the sound of someone clearing their throat brought everyone's attention to Emmett and Rosalie.

"We have an announcement" said Emmett, looking both excited and nervous

"OH! Are you pregnant again Rosalie?" said an excited looking Renee

Laughing at her mother's assumption "No mom, we're not having another baby. We're moving" said Rosalie, reaching over to grab Emmett's hand, knowing her mother wasn't going to like both her daughter's moving away the same year.

"What?" said a shocked Bella

"Well, we didn't say anything at first because we weren't sure anything would come of it, but we've been thinking about this for a few years now." said Emmett

"Thinking about what?" said a confused Charlie

"About trying to open our own garage" said Rosalie

"But why do you have to move to do that?" asked Renee, sad that both her daughter's would be farther away if they moved too.

"Opening a garage in Forks would mean competing against Harry's shop and we can't do that. He gave us both a chance when we started working at his garage and we wouldn't want to take customers away from him. Plus, Forks isn't the biggest town. Seattle would allow us a much bigger customer base to build a successful business." said Rosalie

"When would you be moving" asked Bella, trying to calm down her excitement at the news her sister would be moving to Seattle.

"Well, um that's the part we've been unsure about until about two weeks ago. It's why we didn't say anything until now." said a sheepish Emmett. "We needed to see if we could even get a loan for the start-up and then we would need to find a new house too. We didn't want to say anything until we knew both of those would be possible", rubbing the back of his neck he glanced slightly towards Carlisle, who with a nod decided to share his part of the announcement.

"I think I can help explain things a bit. We currently contract out for any work needed on our company trucks. We've had a lot of problems recently with mechanics that are overcharging us for work that isn't done properly to begin with. So Ed and I have talked about adding a company garage to handle that work instead of contracting out anymore. I ran into Emmett and Rosalie at the bank last month when they were there about a loan. We got to talking and when they explained their business plan to me, it gave me an idea. After talking to Ed about it, we decided to offer them a start-up loan ourselves. They will be the owners and C&M Trucking will be a silent partner until they pay the loan back in full. Their garage will be the only shop working on our trucks here in Seattle. We'll get a discounted price on repairs and know that we're getting the best work for our money. If it works out well here, Ed is going to open a similar garage in California." said Carlisle

Things happened pretty quickly after that for Rosalie & Emmett. They had already found a house they liked and put in an offer before sharing their plans on Thanksgiving. The month of December was almost over before anyone realized. Bella spent a few of her weekends in Forks helping Rosalie pack boxes or in Seattle helping where she could with the new house.

The Cullen's planned to fly out to California for Christmas, but the morning of their flight they woke up to several inches of snow that didn't seem to be stopping. A check online confirmed that their flight was canceled due to the storm. In the end the bad weather kept everyone at home. Rosalie, Emmett, and the kids spent Christmas in Forks with Charlie and Renee. While Bella went with Alice to eat at her parents house.

*()*

_Christmas Morning ~ California_

_ring ring ring_

"Hello?" said a voice that was definitely not Alice

Checking his phone, Edward saw that he had dialed his cousin's number correctly

"Hello?" they asked again

"Sorry, I was checking to make sure I dialed the right number. I was trying to call my cousin, Alice." he said, trying to recall why the voice sounded so familiar

"You did, this is her friend Bella, we spoke once before when you called the office. We're helping Esme cook and I was the only one whose hands weren't covered with food. She saw it was you calling and asked me to answer." said Bella, her voice sounding amused for some reason.

"Can you hold on a second Edward?"

"Sure no problem" he said, listening to the conversation he heard on the other end.

"Alice" she said, snickering into the phone

"Yeah?"

"You just put a cup of salt in that pie filling"

"Oops. You think if I'm quick I can scoop it back out?"

Laughing at Alice's mix up in the kitchen, Edward was grateful he'd be able to enjoy his mother's dishes and be far away from anything his cousin cooked. He loved Alice like a sister, but cooking was definitely not something she excelled at.

"So what kind of pie was that originally supposed to be?" he asked chuckling

"It was supposed to be a chocolate pie, now I don't know what to call it. My brother-in-law will be disappointed, he was looking forward to it" she said

"So how are your plans going for the big move? All I know is what Alice told me and that wasn't much. Just that you were waiting til after the holidays"

"Well, I was going to come up there after the first of the year, but, and Alice doesn't know this by the way, I'm going to come up the day before New Year's instead. Then I'll take a few days to find an apartment and get some work related things set up with Uncle Carlisle. That way when I come back to California, I'll be able to start the process of moving." said Edward

"Hmm, well that's good news" said Bella, knowing Alice was there, Edward could only imagine Alice was trying to figure out what was being said.

"She's staring holes at your head isn't she?" he said chuckling

"Yes! She asked me to answer the phone and know you would think I was hiding a conspiracy from her" she said, her soft laughter making Edward want to stay on the phone longer.

He remembered having a similar unexplained reaction to her voice the first time they had spoken. It left him just as intrigued then, as it did now. He didn't know much about Bella, except what he'd been told from Alice and Jasper. He had heard all about the interrogation questioning from Jasper.

He wasn't too proud to admit that his curiosity had gotten the better of him and he'd checked out her profile on Facebook. The beautiful woman looking back at him in her pictures had made him all the more thankful that he had broken things off with Lauren a few weeks ago. Their relationship wasn't going anywhere in Edward's opinion and he didn't see the point of continuing it. He didn't do flings or casual relationships, and leading Lauren on would've just hurt them both in the end.

He spoke to Bella for a few more minutes, before Alice took the phone from her and started questioning Edward about his moving plans herself. He also didn't miss the fact that Alice volunteered both her and Bella's help looking for an apartment and showing him around Seattle. It wouldn't be the first time she tried to play matchmaker, but it would be the first time Edward didn't feel the need to fight her.

**A/N: Edward wasn't originally written in this chapter, but I know how frustrated you all are with how long it's taken for him to show up. Soooo, I went back and added the last bit from his POV as a surprise last night. Hope that helped. I will tell you that he will be around from now on so you don't have to worry about missing him so much. Hope everyone has a safe holiday weekend!**

**Polyvore link on my profile**

**I was running behind with finishing up this chapter and getting the polyvore created. So if I made any mistakes in the story let me know and I'll fix it. Usually I have the polyvore finished a few days before, but it just got thrown together. **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The plot does belong to me. I don't work with a beta, so all mistakes are my own.**

**Chapter 14**

"Edward's coming!" screamed an excited Alice, bouncing on Bella's bed

"What the fuck?" grumbled a sleeping Bella, not understanding what was going on

"Bella, wake up! Edward is coming up to look for an apartment this weekend and celebrate New Year's Eve with us!" said Alice, still way too excited for this early on a Sunday morning.

Sitting up to glare at her annoying morning person friend, she finally realized what was being said. She was finally going to meet Alice's cousin, Edward.

"Well, that's great. I wondered when I'd finally get to meet this cousin of yours" said Bella, yawning before trudging out of bed to get a much-needed cup of coffee.

"Yeah, he left a voice mail sometime last night to tell me that he was going to crash with Jasper while he was here. Isn't that great!" said an extremely chipper Alice

"Sure Alice" yawned Bella, still trying to fully wake up

"I'm going to go call him real quick and then I'm headed out for breakfast with the folks." said Alice, leaving Bella half asleep, propped up against the kitchen counter

*()*

"So is Jacob going to join us for New Year's Bella?" asked Rosalie, she too had become suspicious of Jacob

"I'm still not sure. He said he was coming down to visit his dad for New Year's since the weather cleared up finally, but wasn't sure when or if he'd be able to make it to Seattle" said Bella, frustrated with the uneasy feeling she'd begun feeling since their last date.

It had been almost two months. Jacob had warned her that he'd be working overtime until the other ranger was able to come back on duty, but even she had begun to question things. They would still text daily, but their phone calls had become more limited since Thanksgiving. She'd often call and get his voice mail, which almost always seemed too full to leave a message, or call only for him to answer and then cut their conversation short, saying that he would call her back at a better time.

"Something doesn't seem right about this guy Bella. I know he's coming to visit his dad, but why can't he just explain to his father that he wants to spend New Year's Eve with the girl he's been dating?" asked a frustrated Rosalie

"Trust me, I've asked myself that same question Rosalie. I mean he still acts just as sweet as he always has been, but now I'm starting to notice things that I didn't see at first", admitted Bella, feeling confused and wondering if she was making things up that weren't real or if something was going on that she wasn't aware of.

"He's your rebound guy" said Jessica, deciding to take her break and join the girls at the corner table they occupied in the coffee shop.

"What?" asked Bella, annoyed and lost with where she was going with her statement

"The first guy you date after a serious relationship is almost always going to end up being classified as "The Rebound Guy". Being sure to use air quotes. "Plus...and don't take this the wrong way please...but the rebound guy is usually someone who you see through rose-colored glasses until that new car smell starts to wear off and then you start smelling the moldy food they forgot about under the seat", said Jessica, nodding at her words, "then you realize their a douche nozzle"

Alice chuckled, shaking her head at Jessica's way with words before turning to look at Bella. "She's actually not necessarily wrong. I thought something similar after your first date, but you were always so happy that I figured I was wrong. Plus, I didn't really have anything to base that idea on at the time. But now I'm starting to wonder if there's more to his odd behavior since the last time he was here." she said, looking deep in thought

"What if I'm wrong and it's all innocent and I screw up a good thing?" said Bella, hoping for some words of wisdom from the three women she considered her best friends.

"You can't just cross your fingers and hope for the best Bella. You did that with Tyler and look how that bit you in the ass. You got rewarded with a lovely round of STD testing as a going away present. Courtesy of that dickhead and his whore" Rosalie said bluntly, reaching over to grab Bella hand, her face softening as she spoke. "I love you sissy and the last thing I want is to see you get hurt again."

"Trust me, that's not on my list of priorities either." stressed Bella, squeezing her sister's hand.

"So...what do I do guys? How do I find out what the deal is?" asked Bella, determined to not get taken for a ride by yet another guy. "I mean, I guess I could ask Charlie if he knows anything about Billy's son, but as far as I know they haven't spoken in years"

"No, the last thing you want to do is go asking dad about anything that has to do with Billy Black." said Rosalie, catching the girls undivided attention.

"Why not" asked all three of them at the same time

"Um, well, I'm pretty sure that Billy Black made a play for mom after she and dad got divorced. I only know what I overheard her saying on the phone one night. I'm not sure who she was talking to, but I've always wondered if it was dad. I didn't catch much of the call before she hung up, but from what I did hear, she'd run into Billy at the store and he'd made some comments to her that made her uncomfortable. Something about dad not caring since he divorced her anyway, so why not let him have a taste. She was pretty pissed off at whatever Billy had told her. I remember the next day I stopped in to see dad at the police station and saw his right hand bandaged up. He played it off as having banged it up while working on his truck the day before, but that was also around the time he stopped talking to Billy. I only brought it up once and he simply said that they had a disagreement and to leave it at that. The way he said it made it perfectly clear that he did not want to talk about it again or Billy Black." said Rosalie, drinking the rest of her coffee as the girls absorbed the new information.

"Wow, I never knew that anything like that happened" said an astonished Bella

"I'm not surprised. This happened around the time you were a senior in high school. You had so much going on then and add that you were dealing with the divorce too. The only reason I even know this much was because I overheard that phone conversation. Mom never brought it up and neither did dad." said Rosalie

"Anyway, back to your original question. No, I would not ask dad about the Black's."

"I would wait and see if he shows up for New Year's Eve and then just ask what's going on and see what his reaction is. Just go from there after that. If you still feel uneasy then tell him you need to take a step back and just be friends for the time being. If he doesn't understand that, then he's probably not the right guy for you anyway." said Alice

"Alright. That sounds like a good idea. I don't even know if it's worth all this frustration. I mean I like Jacob, but I've done the drama dance with Tyler. I'm not about to let another guy string me along. If he can't give me some answers, then I'll tell him we need to stop whatever it is we're doing and just be friends." said Bella, determined not to settle for less than she deserved.

"The fact that you're not sure it's worth the trouble should tell you something" said Jessica. "I'm no expert on guys, which Bella learned first hand" turning to Bella she muttered a sheepish "sorry". "Just be careful, the sweet guys can sometimes be hiding the worst secrets." nodding her head

"This one guy I dated was so cute and shy, but the first time we were alone and making out on his couch, he asked if he could massage my feet. I thought sure, why the hell not? Next thing I know the fucker is sucking me toes and reciting nursery rhymes about my _wittle piggies going to market_. Yeah, that shy fucker was a freak! It's always the quiet ones" she muttered, shuddering she got up from the table. "I'll see you girls later, I gotta get back to work"

Noticing the time they all finished there drinks to head out of the coffee shop as well.

"So did Edward tell you when exactly he was coming into town?" asked Bella as she an Alice arrived a the office a few minutes later.

"Yes! I'm so excited. I haven't seen him since we moved back to Seattle. He's going to get in town sometime during the day on New Year's Eve and then stay for a few days to look for an apartment" said Alice

*()*

_New Year's Eve ~ around 6pm_

"Bella are you sure about waiting here for Jacob? You could come eat dinner with us and then make his ass meet us all at the bar later" said Alice, hating the idea that while everyone else was already celebrating, Bella would be stuck waiting at their apartment for Jacob.

"It's fine Alice. Go ahead without me and I'll be there soon. Jacob said that he'd be here at 8 o'clock and this way I can talk to him about what's been going on in private" said Bella, putting the finishing touches on her makeup

"Alright, well Jasper and Edward just got here. Why don't you come meet Edward before we leave and then let me know when you're on your way" said Alice, wary of leaving Bella alone to deal with the mess with Jacob.

Bella had only spoken to him through text messages the last few days and didn't even know he was coming until the day before. He'd sounded sincere when he had explained that his sister was coming down to visit their father too, and Billy wanted to have an early family dinner before Jacob drove to Seattle to spend New Year's Eve with Bella. But the little thoughts of uncertainty and doubt had continued to plague Bella since her talk with the girls at the coffee shop.

Satisfied with her makeup for the night, she followed Alice, anxious to finally meet Edward. Coming into the kitchen she was met with a sight that stunned her. Edward and Jasper were each drinking a beer laughing about something. Edward was leaning up again the kitchen counter, and the sight of him alone made her heart flutter. She'd never had that reaction from just looking at a man.

He had that sexy just fucked hair and you could tell that he kept himself in shape. He wore a short sleeve shirt that showed off his well-defined upper body and just a hint of ink showed under the sleeves. Bringing her eyes up to his face, she saw his eyes were a beautiful shade of emerald. They were also showing his amusement and noticing Bella's perusal of his body upon entering the room.

_Well that's a good way to make a first impression. Hi Edward, I'm Bella, mind if I eye fuck you?_

Blushing at being caught, she sent a sheepish smile to Edward, who smirked with a wink at catching her.

"Hello Bella, it's nice to finally meet you" said Edward, the same sultry voice Bella remembered from their two brief conversation over the phone.

"Hi Edward, it's nice to put a face with the name and voice" she said, noticing that Alice and Jasper had disappeared from the kitchen.

"So Jasper was telling me that you're not coming out with us tonight. You look absolutely beautiful and ready to go out, so I'm guessing you have other plans?" he said,

_Hmm, is it just me or did he sound disappointed? _

"Um, well I'm waiting on someone to pick me up" she said, regretting her decision to wait for Jacob at the apartment

"Oh, your date I'm assuming?", he asked, his eyes never leaving hers as he took a drink of his beer

"Well, yes and no" she said, for some reason feeling comfortable with Edward.

Seeing his confusion she decided to give him the cliff notes of why she was staying behind when they left.

"Um, the truth is I've been dating someone, but there are some things that have caused a few red flags for me lately. He won't get here until 8 o'clock, so I figured I could use the privacy to talk to him." she said, watching Edward nod his head in understanding, but still looks curious for more details.

Before they could continue their conversation, Jasper and Alice walked back into the kitchen.

"We're both ready to head out." said Alice, "Are you sure you want to wait here Bella?" she asked, looking hopeful

"I'm sure Alice, you guys go have dinner and start enjoying your night. Hopefully I won't be far behind you." shaking her head and smiling slightly at Alice's concern.

"Alright, well you have both mine and Jasper's cell numbers." she said, her eyes going to Edward and back to Bella, looking like she was trying to decide something.

Whatever Alice was contemplating must not have been that important Bella figured, because she just shook whatever she was thinking away and then started heading toward the front door.

"It was nice meeting you Bella. Um, I hope everything goes alright with your guy." said Edward, pushing off the counter and following them.

"Thanks Edward" she said shyly.

Just before leaving Alice was sure to remind Bella about calling when she headed to the bar and not to walk since it would be dark already. Edward and Jasper were quick to agree that even if Jacob was with her, it would be wise to catch a cab. She agreed and then sent them on their way. Sad that she couldn't go with them, but still determined to finally talk to Jacob about things.

*()*

To: Bella  
From: Alice  
_(7:06pm)  
_Message : Do you mind if I give Edward your cell phone number?

To: Alice  
From: Bella  
_(7:08pm)  
_Message : That's fine. Why?

To: Bella  
From: Unknown  
_(7:15pm)  
_Message: This is Edward. I hope you don't mind Alice giving me your number.

To: Edward  
From: Bella  
_(7:16pm)  
_Message: It's fine.

To: Bella  
From: Edward  
_(7:18pm)  
_Message: I just figured that if you had my number, then you could call me if you can't get Alice or Jasper for some reason.

To: Edward  
From: Bella  
_(7:21pm)  
_Message: Thanks Edward. That's really nice of you to think of that. Knowing Alice she wouldn't hear her phone ringing and then get mad at me for "not calling" when I show up later.

To: Bella  
From: Edward  
_(7:25pm)  
_Message: Ha, that sounds like her. Plus, this way her and Jasper can go dance. I'm just relaxing at our table drinking a beer.

To: Edward  
From: Bella  
_(7:30pm)  
_Message: I'm glad their having a good time. I'm guessing that no one else has shown up yet?

To: Bella  
From: Edward  
_(7:31pm)  
_Message: Your sister Rosalie and Emmett got here a few minutes after we did. He talked her into a game of darts though.

To: Edward  
From: Bella  
_(7:33pm)  
_Message: Lol, he loves darts. Watch out though, he tends to miss the board.

To: Bella  
From: Edward  
_(7:36pm)  
_Message: Yeah, I'm noticing that. Guess it's a good thing he's sober. I'd hate to see him after a few beers.

To: Edward  
From: Bella  
_(7:40pm)  
_Message: Lol, just wait. You'd think he could handle his liquor, but he's a light weight. Even tiny Alice can drink him under the table.

To: Bella  
From: Edward  
_(7:42pm)  
_Message: Then tonight should be fun. He started the night off with buying a round of tequila

To: Edward  
From: Bella  
_(7:45pm)  
_Message: Lol, watch out, he likes to hug when he's tipsy

To: Bella  
From: Edward  
_(7:50pm)  
_Message: It's almost 8, so I'll leave you alone to finish getting ready. I hope you get everything sorted out so you can come enjoy your night with everyone.

To: Edward  
From: Bella  
_(7:54pm)  
_Message: You're not bothering me and I'm ready anyway. Just waiting and getting irritated. It's almost 8pm and I can't get a hold of Jacob.

To: Bella  
From: Edward  
_(7:56pm)  
_Message: I'm sorry. Hopefully he will show up soon.

To: Bella  
From: Alice  
_(8:30pm)  
_Message: Sorry if I'm interrupting. Just wanted to check on you and see if you were leaving soon.

To: Alice  
From: Bella  
_(8:35pm)  
_Message: He'd have to be here for you to interrupt anything.

To: Bella  
From: Alice  
_(8:36pm)  
_Message: WHAT!?

To: Alice  
From: Bella  
_(8:40pm)  
_Message: He hasn't shown up and he's not answering his phone. I just called and it went to voice mail after 5 rings. I called again right after and it went to voice mail immediately.

To: Bella  
From: Alice  
_(8:43pm)  
_Message: Like he purposely sent you to voice mail?

To: Alice  
From: Bella  
_(8:44pm)  
_Message: That's the impression I got. I sent him a few texts and got nothing.

To: Bella  
From: Alice  
_(8:46pm)  
_Message: Well fuck him! Get your sexy ass in a cab and come celebrate with us.

To: Alice  
From: Bella  
_(8:47pm)  
_Message: I'm going to wait til 9 and try calling him again. If I don't get anything, then I'll get a cab.

To: Bella  
From: Alice  
_(8:48pm)  
_Message: Alright. Let us know when you leave

To: Bella  
From: Alice  
_(9:20pm)  
_Message: Did you get a hold of him?

To: Bella  
From: Alice  
_(9:30pm)  
_Message: Everything okay?

To: Bella  
From: Rosalie  
_(9:40pm)  
_Message: Isabella Marie Swan you are freaking us all out?

To: Bella  
From: Edward  
_(9:42pm)  
_Message: Are you okay?

To: Bella  
From: Edward  
_(9:45pm)  
_Message: Everyone is getting worried. I know you don't know me well, but please let someone know you're alright.

To: Edward  
From: Bella  
_(9:47pm)  
_Message: Tell everyone I'm sorry for worrying them. I don't think I'm gonna come out tonight. Tell them I'm sorry and if they cut their night short because of me I'll kick their asses. Please don't let them come here now.

To: Bella  
From: Edward  
_(9:48pm)  
_Message: Bella be honest with me. Are you okay? Is Jacob there?

To: Edward  
From: Bella  
_(9:50pm)  
_Message: I'm alone. He didn't show up.

To: Bella  
From: Edward  
_(9:52pm)  
_Message: I'm sorry. I managed to talk the girls out of coming to drag you out. Their not happy, but they said to call them if you need to talk or change your mind. Are you okay?

To: Edward  
From: Bella  
_(9:55pm)  
_Message: Thanks

To: Bella  
From: Edward  
_(9:56pm)  
_Message: Bella, are you okay?

To: Edward  
From: Bella  
_(10:00pm)  
_Message: Not at the moment. I'm not sure what I am.

*()*

"I'm gonna step outside and make a phone call real quick." Edward told Jasper before heading towards the side terrace. The cool night air kept most of the bar patrons inside, so he was able to hear better once he closed the doors. Taking a deep breath, he hit send once he found the number he needed.

_ring ring ring_

"Hi Edward" Bella somber voice and sniffles coming through the phone made him glad he'd taken the initiative to call and check on her.

"Like I said earlier, I know you hardly know me, and have no reason to talk to me about your personal life, but I just felt like I needed to call and make sure you were okay."

Her soft whimper through the phone told him that she was trying not to let him hear her cry.

"Bella, please talk to me" he said softly, not understanding the strong urge he felt to comfort her, but knowing he wanted to help her.

"Did Jacob ever respond to any of your calls or texts?", the sob he heard through the phone made him cringe. He'd never liked it when any woman was crying, but hearing Bella cry over the phone made his chest tighten. He also wanted to find this guy Jacob and knock him on his ass.

Hearing Bella clear her throat and sigh into the phone made him hope she was calming down enough to talk.

"No, _he's _not the one who finally responded" Edward didn't miss the emphasis she put on the word _he, _or how flat her voice became.

Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, he asked, "Who did?"

"His wife"

**A/N: Sorry this is a few days late. I wasn't sure if I was going to post it. I'm kind of deflated from the lack of response I've gotten from this story and not sure I want to continue wasting my time on it. This is the last chapter I've got written, but I haven't decided what I want to do yet. Let me know if anyone wants me to continue it or not. Otherwise I'll probably just remove it. **

**Sorry, no polyvore link this week. If I decide to continue the story, then I'll post it with the next chapter.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The plot does belong to me. I don't work with a beta, so all mistakes are my own.**

**Chapter 15**

"His wife?", Edward said incredulously, running a hand through his hair as he tried to make sense of what she said.

"Yep. You heard me. That asshole has a . . fucking . . wife!" her voice breaking as she started sobbing

Listening to her breakdown on the phone tugged at something in Edward that he couldn't explain. He had felt an instant connection to Bella the first time they spoke and again when they met, but he knew now wasn't the time to explore it.

He turned around and headed back into the bar, luckily finding Jasper waiting for drinks not far from the terrace doors.

"Hey man, wondered where you ran off too." said Jasper, a frown appearing on his smiling face at the look Edward's held.

"What's wrong?" he asked

Still holding the phone to his ear, Bella's sobbing could still be heard and motivated him to take action. Quickly putting his phone on mute, he gave Jasper a cliff notes version of what was going on, not wanting to share too much information that was Bella's to divulge.

"All I will tell you is that this guy, Jacob, didn't show up and Bella's pretty upset. She doesn't want to ruin the night for everyone, and please don't tell them this, but she's not telling the girls the truth about what's going on." he said, pleading with his friend to keep silent and respect Bella's wishes.

"Is she alright though", asked Jasper, not liking the idea of keeping something from Alice, but also knowing that she wouldn't be stopped in her decision to head home if she knew something was really wrong.

"She will be, just not right away. I'm gonna grab a cab and head back to the apartment." said Edward, not missing the slight smirk that appeared on Jasper's face

"Don't look at me like that." said Edward, shaking his head

"You like her, don't you." he stated, smiling at Edward's concern for Bella

Huffing out a breath, Edward studied Jasper's face before deciding to confess something he'd never voiced to anyone.

"I've liked her since before we spoke on the phone over the holidays. Alice is always talking about her and I've seen pictures of her before too. Now is not the time for any of that though. Right now she just needs a friend and that's what I plan to be." said Edward

"Look, she's still on the phone. Just tell Alice that I was more tired than I originally thought from the drive down here and headed back." he said, at Jasper's nod he put the phone back to his ear and headed towards the doors to exit the bar.

Once outside he took the phone back off mute and hoped Bella hadn't noticed his absence over the past few minutes. Hearing sniffles through the phone and the sound of her blowing her nose, told him that she most likely hadn't noticed.

Getting into a cab, he began to worry that showing up at her door would be unwelcome. She might prefer the girls over him, especially since they had just met in person the same night.

"Bella, are you sure you don't want the girls to come back to the apartment? You really shouldn't be alone" said Edward, feeling the overwhelming urge to take care of her.

Taking a deep breath, Bella tried to calm down, the last thing she wanted was to ruin her friend's night out.

"No. They deserve a night out with their guys, to relax and have fun. Not have it cut short to come join my pity party."

"Bella, from the way Alice talks about you, the last thing you'd have to worry about is her pitying you. We might need to come up with some bail money for when she disappears to go find this guy though." he said, trying to lighten the mood

Hearing a small chuckle through the phone, he knew he was succeeding and decided to keep on his current path.

"You might think I'm joking, but I'm not. Did she ever tell you what happened when she was a freshman in college?" he asked

_Sniffles _"I can't think of anything in particular that she told me about college specifically" she said, hearing the confusion in her voice he continued

"When she was a freshman, she was dating this guy that I could always tell was a jerk, but you can't make Alice do anything she doesn't want to. His name was James, had a damn blonde pony tail and everything. Anyway, I got a frantic call from my mom one night telling me that my cousin had gone off the deep end and had shown up at my parents house asking for a baseball bat. My mom said she didn't think anything of it and told Alice she could look up in my old room. What made her become concerned was that Alice left her car running in the driveway with a song blasting through the speakers that was talking about keying cars, and taking a Louisville slugger to headlights." he said chuckling, the memories of his mother's clueless words always made him laugh

"Geez, what song was she listening to, and why did she need a bat?" asked Bella thankful for the distraction, and surprised that she'd never heard this story before.

"She apparently had caught James with some girl named Victoria, but he didn't actually see her. They were making out at some bar off campus. Alice took inspiration from a Carrie Underwood song and decided to break up with James in her own way. Luckily I was in town when it happened and when I tried calling Alice, a friend of her's answered. They were trying to get her to stop keying his car in the parking lot before she got caught. The girl, I forget her name, but she told me that Alice wasn't listening to them and just kept humming the song with a smile on her face." he said, glad to hear a few small laughs coming from Bella.

"I hauled ass to get to the bar, and got there just in time to grab a hold of the bat before Alice got a chance to start swinging. She had taken too much time making sure every side of his car had scratches before she went to grab the bat. She had also flattened a few of his tires before we stopped her." he said, snickering as he remembered the sight of the words "ASS LICKER" scratched on the driver side door.

"Oh my god! She actually took the time to scratch that on his car?!" said Bella, wiping the tears from her face as she laughed at Alice's creativity.

"Yeah, I asked her why later, and she said, that if she'd scratched "cheater" on the door he'd automatically know it was her. This way she could get out her frustrations and innocently break up with him without making him jump to the automatic conclusion that it was her." he said, pulling out some cash to pay for the cab and getting out at the girls apartment.

"I did not know about that. I guess if she starts humming that song I'll know to call Jasper to keep an eye on her" she said, her voice turning somber towards to end.

Knowing that while the humor of his story had worked to distract her for a few minutes, it was starting to wear off. Taking the stairs quickly he found himself in front of the door faster than he thought possible.

*()*

_knock, knock_

Hearing the sounds of someone knocking on the apartment door, made Bella wary to answer. She couldn't think of anyone who would be knocking and feared that Jacob was on the other side.

"Someone's at the door Edward. What if it's Jacob? I don't want to see that fucker ever again" she said, her voice giving away her anxiety and anger all at the same time.

"It's okay Bella. Just look out the peephole" he said, the confidence she heard in his voice made her curious.

Reaching up on her tiptoes she squinted her eye and looked out. Pulling make in shock, a gasp of surprise leaving her mouth before she could catch it. Hanging up her phone, she opened the door to see Edward standing there looking sheepish and slightly unsure.

"Edward?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, he looked at her questioning face. "Um, I know you didn't want to ruin the night for the others, but I was just an extra wheel and didn't really feel like sticking around when you were here by yourself. I can go if you want, but I just felt the need to make sure you were alright. Thought you might like to talk about it before the girls question you." he said, not sure what else to say

Tears welled up in her eyes at the honesty and caring she saw in his eyes and she couldn't stop them.

Seeing her reaction he took a chance and stepped forward, pulling her into a gentle hug.

Bella wrapped her arms tightly around his body, her face pressed against his chest, and his chin resting upon her head as she broke down again.

"I … just … don't … understand" she said, taking deep breaths she felt Edward guide her into the apartment, shutting the door and directing them to the couch.

"What don't you understand sweetheart" he asked softly, tightening he arms around her as they sat on the couch

"Is there something … _sniffles_, wrong with me? Why do I keep getting dealt these shitty guys?" her cries continuing, but thankfully calmed down from the earlier sobbing

Taking a minute to gather his words, he made a mental note to find the bat he'd hidden from Alice.

"Oh sweetheart, you didn't do anything wrong and there isn't anything wrong with you either. Guys like Jacob are scum. I'm so sorry he did this to you, but you did nothing wrong. _He lied to you. He led you to believe he was single._" gritting his teeth at the anger he felt building up at the thought of how Jacob was stringing her along. All the while, knowing that her last relationship had ended badly. He didn't know all the details, but remembered Alice mentioning a few details that painted a not so pretty picture of Bella's last relationship.

After a few minutes he realized how quiet Bella had gotten and looked down to see her eyes closed and her breathing even. She'd fallen asleep.

Being careful not to wake her, he carefully lifted her off the couch, carrying her bridal style towards the bedrooms. The first room opened up to a room decorated in pinks and screamed Alice. Since the next door was a bathroom, he could only assume the last door at the hallway was Bella's room.

Thankful that Bella wasn't a neat freak, the unmade bed made it easy for him to lay her down and pull the covers over her.

He took a moment to look around the room and get a little more insight into the kind of person Bella was. The room wasn't messy, but it wasn't perfectly clean either. A basket of laundry sat on the floor, and a half full cup of cold coffee sat on her desk.

The sound of Bella stirring on the bed broke him from his perusal of her room and not wanting Bella to think he was snooping, he quietly left the room, pulling the door closed slightly.

Not wanting to leave, Edward decided to send a quick text to Jasper before taking his shoes off and settling on the couch for the night. Thankful the girls left a blanket out on the back of the couch for this very occasion.

To: Jasper  
From: Edward  
_(11:21pm)  
_Message: Bella's asleep, and I'm gonna crash on the couch at the girl's apartment. Should I expect anyone to come back here after the ball drops at midnight?

To: Edward  
From: Jasper  
_(11:25pm)_  
Message: I managed to talk Alice into coming back to my apartment as originally planned. I didn't figure Bella would appreciate her coming home drunk and demanding to know what was going on.

To: Jasper  
From: Edward  
_(11:27pm)_  
Message: Thanks man. That's probably for the best. It's still gonna suck for her in the morning, but she wasn't in any condition to really talk when I got here.

To: Edward  
From: Jasper  
_(11:29pm)_  
Message: Alright. Gotta go, Alice is getting handsy and wants to dance some more before midnight.

To: Jasper  
From: Edward  
_(11:30pm)_  
Message: I don't need to know that shit! Have a good night, see you guys tomorrow.

Putting his phone on the coffee table, he stretched out on the couch and tried to get some sleep.

*()*

_ring, ring_

Not knowing what woke him, Edward sat up on the couch, rubbing his hands over his face. Blinking his eyes he glanced at the clock to see it was just after 2am, and the home phone was ringing. Not completely awake, and only thinking about preventing Bella from waking up, Edward jumped off the couch and headed towards the kitchen to answer the phone.

"Hello" he answered, keeping his voice low

"Who the fuck is this?!"

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. I don't have any pre-written chapters, so I'm not going to promise weekly updates anymore. Every two weeks is more likely, unless I just get a wild hair up my butt to write a lot more. Hope you like this one. I literally wrote this chapter and created both polyvore sets today, so please forgive any mistakes.**

**If you didn't figure it out, the song they were talking about was "Before He Cheats" by: Carrie Underwood. **

**Polyvore link for chapter 14/15 are on my profile**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The plot does belong to me. I don't work with a beta, so all mistakes are my own. It's after midnight and I've spent the last few hours trying to finish this chapter so that I don't go past two weeks without an update. So if there are any errors, please forgive. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 16**

Edward pulled the phone away from his head and gave it a dumbfounded look. Shaking his head he tried to control his irritation at the caller.

"Excuse me?" he asked

"I said who the fuck is this and why are you answering Bella's phone?" the unknown caller rudely asked

"Look man, it's after 2am and your calling this number. How about you tell me who you are first and then we'll go from there?" Edward said sternly, not liking the sound of entitlement in the man's voice when he mentioned Bella.

"I'm Bella's boyfriend" he said, the smugness in his voice made Edward wish for the power to reach through the phone and strangle him.

"I'm assuming you mean this is the asshole who led Bella on and forgot to mention he was fucking married!" he fumed at who he realized was on the other end of the call.

_This guy really is a stupid motherfucker!_

"That's none of your business asshole. Now where is Bella, who the fuck are you, and why are you answering her phone at 2 in the morning." he ground out, obviously getting impatient with Edward's questioning.

"My name is Edward and I'm Bella's friend. That's all you need to know." he said, not giving away any information.

Hearing movement behind him, Edward turned to see a sleepy looking Bella come into the kitchen. Seeing the questioning look on her face at noticing he was on the phone, he dreaded having to tell her who was on the other end. He gave her a look of apology before muting the phone.

"Who is it?" she asked timidly, the stressed look in her eyes making him hurt for her and pissed even more at Jacob.

"I'm sorry for answering the phone. The ringing woke me and I was still half asleep. All I could think of was not wanting it to wake you." looking sheepish at her and knowing from her look that she noticed his stalling

"Edward, who is on the phone?" her voice still soft, but sounding stronger than before.

Running his hand through his hair, he took a deep breath. "It's Jacob" he said, watching her face.

Bella looked down at the floor immediately. Edward could see her fighting with the anger and shame she felt from finding out she'd been dating a married man. Squaring her shoulders she brought a new face up, filled with determination.

"Put him on speaker" she said, nodding her head to show that Edward had heard her right.

Taking the phone off mute and on speaker, they were met with nothing but malicious words.

"...it sure didn't take her long to spread her legs for another guy. I mean shit, I spent over four months trying to get in her fucking pants and all I got was a lousy hand job! Cock teasing cunt. You know how much crap I had to feed her about being special, and how beautiful I'd always thought she was? Sure, she's got a nice rack and ass, but what the fuck man? If I wanted to talk to a chick then I would just stick with my wife. I'm just glad I didn't limit myself to a prude bitch like her. Take my advice man, as soon as you leave, find the first bar you can, and get some slut to suck you off in the parking lot. That's the only way I could stand putting up with Bella's lame date crap!" Jacob spewed through the phone, not realizing he was on speaker, or that Edward was not his only audience.

Bella's eyes filled with tears and her lips trembled as she listened to Jacob's words. Edward having heard enough disconnected the call.

Bella took a shuddering breath, "Wow, he sure had me fooled", shaking her head as tears slowly fell down her cheeks.

Placing his arm around her shoulders, Edward pulled her to him and held her as she calmed down.

"I'm sorry you heard that bullshit. He's just lashing out because he got caught. Don't give anything he said a second thought", said Edward, giving her a comforting squeeze.

"Why don't you try to get some more sleep, and if he calls again I'll deal with him."

"Honestly, I don't know if I could go back to sleep now. Not after that phone call." she said, sniffling and wiping away the last of her tears.

"Well, I noticed that there was a 24-hour diner down the street. What do you say we go get us an early breakfast. Huh? Stuff ourselves full of artery clogging comfort food and then come back here and fall into a food induced coma for a few hours? How does that sound?" he asked, hoping Bella would agree.

She seemed to think about the idea for a few seconds before looking down at her clothes. Tucking some hair behind her ear, she suddenly appeared shy, and Edward's curiosity peaked at the sight of the lovely blush that appeared on her cheeks.

"I just realized that I'm still wearing my dress from last night, and all my makeup. I must look like a rejected horror film extra." she said, sounding embarrassed.

Chuckling at her description, Edward couldn't help but think she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Her hair disheveled from sleep, the dress wrinkled, and her eye makeup smudged terribly.

_Still beautiful. _

"What?"

Hearing her voice, brought Edward out of his thoughts. Bella was fighting a smile and he realized that the his private thoughts weren't so silent. Chewing on his lip, he felt a rare blush take residence on his own cheeks.

"I said that out loud didn't I?" he said, squeezing his eyes shut

Laughing quietly, "yep", she said. "I really like the idea of some comfort food right now, but do you mind if I take a quick shower first?"

"That's fine with me."

"Great" she said, giving him a quick squeeze back before leaving his arms. Stopping for a second, she turned to look at Edward.

"Thanks for everything tonight Edward." she softly said

"My pleasure" he said, offering a small smile.

*()*

"Are you guys ready to order or would you like a few more minutes?" asked the waitress, Maggie

"I'm ready to order. What about you Bella?" asked Edward, looking across the table to see Bella chewing on her lip as she tried to decide what to order.

After her shower, Bella had dressed in sweat pants, a tank top and a baggy hooded sweatshirt.

_Even without the dress and makeup, she's still beautiful_

Since Edward rode with Alice and Jasper to the restaurant, he had left his rental car parked outside the girl's apartment. After a quick trip to his car, he was able to change into sweats too.

"Yes, I'd like the biscuits and gravy, with sausage links, and scrambled eggs." she said, handing her menu to the waitress.

"I'm gonna get the same, but I'm gonna get bacon instead of sausage" said Edward

"Alright, I'll get your orders in. Should be about fifteen minutes."

Bella seemed miles away as she watched out the diner window. Edward quietly stirred his coffee, while trying to think of something to say.

"I just want to fall asleep and wake up to find out this was all some terrible nightmare." Bella said softly

Without thinking about it Edward reached across the table to grasp her hand. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze intending to let go, but before he could pull his hand away, Bella flipped her's over and grasped his hand tightly.

"Bella", he said softly

"Hmm", she quietly acknowledged him, turning her head towards him, looking so somber.

"I wish I knew what to say to make you feel better. All I can tell you is that you did nothing wrong."

"He has a wife Edward. How did I date someone for four months and not see any signs that he was lying to me? I had an affair with a married man" she whispered, her lip quivering and her eyes becoming glassy with tears

"Please don't take this question the wrong way, but did you ask him if he was single or did he say he was? Did you ever talk about past relationships?"

Bella grabbed some napkins to wipe her nose and tears away before she answered his questions.

"When we started talking, we spoke through Facebook or texts and he asked if I was single. I told him I had just gotten out of a relationship a few months ago and that I might tell him about it later. He brought it up the first time we met up in person. I gave him the cliff notes version of my break up with Tyler. When I finished telling him, he told me that he had dated a girl for the last few years, but that they grew apart and he broke it off last year", she said, taking a shuddering breath as she tried to compose herself.

"Then there is no way in hell that anyone can say you had an affair with him. You did nothing wrong Bella. _Jacob_ contacted you first. _Jacob_ told you he was single. _Jacob_ lied to you." he said strongly, hoping to focus the blame where it really belonged. On Jacob and not her.

Before either could continue their conversation the waitress came to the table with their food. Focusing on their meals, they fell into a comfortable silence as they ate.

"I just …." sighing, Bella put her fork down and just had a look of being lost on her face.

"What is it?" he asked, not wanting to pressure her into talking, but hopeful that she would.

Shaking her head, she clenched her jaw and stared down at her plate. "I just feel like an idiot. I trusted him because his father used to be best friends with my dad. I still don't know the specifics, but I know my dad and Billy had a falling out that involved my mother a few years ago. Something about Billy disrespecting my mother around the time my parent's divorced. I guess that should have been my first red flag." chuckling bitterly she continued.

"What's the saying? _The apple doesn't fall far from the tree? _I should have talked to my dad the first time I had any doubts, but I didn't want to bring up the past."

"Jacob is an asshole and I know your upset, but at least you found out before things got serious. I know that probably doesn't make you feel better, but since it was a long distance relationship, this could have gone on a lot longer before you found out." he said

"Yeah. I know your right, but it still pisses me off." she said, picking up her fork to continue eating.

"I'd be worried if it didn't piss you off. I just don't want you to waste more of your time on an asshole that isn't worth it. Be sad for a few days if you want, cry, scream. Whatever you want or need to do. Then you get up and say "fuck you" to that dickhead and move on from him. You focus on the day to day stuff and spend time with friends. You're not alone and everyone will want to help you. Including me, cause let's be honest, we both know as soon as Alice finds out about this we're going to have to hide her car keys and come up with bail money. Maybe we should make a jar for your kitchen counter marked, **Alice's Bail Fund**." he said, snickering at the his own joke.

The side of her mouth twitched slightly at his words. She took a deep breath before looking back out the window with a small smile on her face.

"Thanks Edward" she whispered

"Your welcome" he whispered back just as softly before focusing back on his breakfast.

It was as he put the last bite into his mouth, that he noticed Bella's hand was still firmly clasped in his, where it had been for the entire meal.

**A/N: I'm so happy that I managed to get this chapter finished. I had the first half of it written early last week, but I've been hung up on the part with B/E at the diner. I'm feeling a little bit of writer's block, but I'm hoping to have another chapter out within two weeks or less. **

**Polyvore link for this chapter is posted on my profile as usual. **


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The plot does belong to me. I don't work with a beta, so all mistakes are my own. **

**Chapter 17**

"So you and Edward seemed pretty cozy on the couch this morning" said a mischievous looking Alice

Rolling her eyes at her friend, Bella decided to ignore the comment and continue watching her show. She was giving herself a day to be lazy and mope. Which included a marathon of True Blood and junk food.

_You can never go wrong with a sexy viking vampire._

"Bellllaaaa"

"What are you, five? Don't whine" she said, popping another scoop of ice cream in her mouth.

Alice huffed and pouted before stomping to her room, slamming the door closed behind her.

Shaking her head at Alice's behavior, she couldn't help but chuckle. Picking up the remote, she paused the episode and waited for her to come back. Bella knew this was Alice's attempt at cheering her up, by over exaggerating for her friend's amusement. She does something similar when she wants Bella to take pity on her and cook breakfast on the weekends. Sure enough, not a minute had gone by before she heard Alice's door open, and the sound of her shuffling her feet back into the living room.

Plopping herself on the couch, Alice set her head on Bella's shoulder, interlocking their arms before she started again.

"Okay, I won't tease you about this morning, but I will say that you and Edward looked very cute sleeping together on the couch." she said, a warm smile appearing on her face.

Not taking the bait, Bella remained silent.

"What happened sweetie? All I know is what I got from your text messages last night, and that wasn't much. You don't have to tell me if you don't want, but you know I'll always be here for when you are ready to talk. I just want to know that your okay." said Alice

"I know you are, and I'm grateful. I'm sorry that I didn't give you much last night. I just didn't want to ruin your night. Plus, as much as I love you, I also know that when you've had even the littlest to drink, you're not very good at keeping things to yourself. If I told you anything last night, then everyone would know and then everyone's night would be ruined." said Bella

Knowing that she would need to explain what had happened eventually, she decided to take Edward's advice. After finishing their meal at the diner, they had come back to the apartment and settled on the couch to watch a movie. On the walk back, Edward had told her to let her friends help and that talking about it might help work through the emotions she was feeling. They had ended up falling asleep on the couch, propped up next to each other and that's how Alice had found them when she came home from Jasper's.

"I couldn't get a hold of Jacob last night and when someone finally did answer his phone, it wasn't who I was expecting." said Bella, not quite ready to say the exact words.

Sitting up, Alice turned her whole body to face Bella, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Um, who was it?"

Bella took a deep breath, turning to look at her friend's face.

"His wife."

That was all she said, leaving those words lingering, still not quite sure what to say about the revelation that Jacob was hiding a wife from her.

"Hmm, okay. Be right back" Alice's lips went into a tight line, shocking Bella at her flippant response and Alice's quick departure back to her room.

Confused, Bella got up to put the remaining pint of ice cream back in the freezer. Closing the door, she heard Alice coming back from her room.

"Alice, I . . . . . " she paused, mouth open in shock at the sight of Alice in all black, carrying a metal baseball bat.

"What. . . .um, what are you doing?" she asked, not sure if she should laugh or be scared of her.

"Where are my keys? I'm gonna go find that fucker." she said with nonchalance.

_Edward wasn't joking when he hid Alice's car keys before he left._

That thought was enough to send Bella into hysterics. She slid into a kitchen chair, leaning on the table laughing so hard she felt tears in her eyes. She thought Edward was exaggerating when he said that Alice would go ballistic when she found out. Apparently, he wasn't kidding.  
Reaching for her cell phone, she found Edward's newly saved number and hit call while still trying to control her laughter.

"What is so funny?" asked Alice, digging through her purse.

Putting a finger up to tell Alice to hold on, she waited for Edward to answer.

"Hello" said a yawning Edward

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" _laughing softly _"I wanted to let you know that I might need you or Jasper to help control the pixie." said Bella, using the sleeve of her shirt to wipe her face.

"No I was awake. Jasper and I are just sitting at his place. What did she do?" said a chuckling Edward

"I got as far as the "wife" part and she left the room, only to come back five minutes later in all black, with a metal bat accessory."

"Damn, I knew I should have checked her room before I left"

"Yeah, I didn't even know she had that here. She's looking for her car keys." said Bella, watching Alice looking through all the kitchen drawers for her missing keys.

"Jasper said she got it for protection when she originally thought she was going to be living on her own." he said,

"Yeah. Hold on." she said, whispering the last part.

Seeing that Alice's attention was still focused on locating the keys, she quietly grabbed the bat that Alice propped up against the cabinet. Then she took off running to her room knowing that Alice would see the movement and try to stop her.

"Bella! Give me back Lucy!" Alice shrieked from the other side of Bella's locked bedroom door.

"What the hell?" said Edward, laughing at the sounds coming through the phone.

"I grabbed the bat and now I'm locked in my room with it." she said, laughing

"Alright, well hide it somewhere in your room and Jasper and I will be over there in a few minutes. We're already headed down to the car. Just keep her in the apartment and we'll handle shorty when we get there." said Edward, still chuckling at his cousin's need to pull another Carrie.

*()*

"I can't believe you called them to tattle on me" said a pouting Alice, arms crossed as she sat in the living room with Bella. The guys had arrived a few minutes before and had already confiscated "Lucy" to keep her from Alice.

"Trust me I would love to help you kick his ass, but that won't solve anything. Plus, I haven't had time to save up for your bail money." said Bella, smiling at Alice

"I wasn't really going to do anything, but I did manage to get you to laugh." said Alice, her demeanor changing instantly and that mischievous twinkle returning to her eyes.

"You mean to tell me that this was all an act?" said Jasper, smiling at his girlfriend in awe. She went through such great lengths just to help her friend laugh.

"Of course. Now if I run across that fucker, yeah, I'm gonna run his ass over a few times, but that's besides the point." Alice said flippantly, making Edward shake his head in amusement at his cousin.

"So what are you going to do?" asked Alice. Amusement aside, she was concerned Bella would convert back to the sad insecure girl she and her mother had found in Seattle so many months ago.

Shaking her head all Bella could do was shrug her shoulders.

"I really don't know. Is there a "Breaking Up For Dummies" book for this situation?", said Bella, trying to mask her emotions behind humor. Right now she just felt frustrated.

"There's a "Dating for Dummies" said Jasper nonchalantly

Edward turned to look at Jasper, "How the hell do you know that?" he asked with amusement.

"Don't look at me like that. We weren't all blessed with good looks from birth." he said chuckling

"I was an awkward kid and I'm not ashamed to say that book helped me navigate my way to second base in the backseat of my dad's Chevy for the first time." he said, with a lazy smirk on his face.

"Oh yeah? Well you keep looking all wistful about memories from the backseat and you'll need to dust it back off again." said Alice, raising her eyebrow in annoyance

"Well you should feel better knowing that the next week I found out that while I got to second base, half the football team had gotten to third during the summer." he said, pursing his lips is amusement at Alice's jealousy.

"Ew"

"Nasty"

Both girls speaking over each other.

"Hmm, you talking about Heidi?" asked Edward

"Yep" said Jasper

"Damn. Did that happen right after you started going to our school?"

"Yeah, you and I became friends not long after that happened."

Edward started laughing, "To bad I couldn't warn you about her before. She was one of the loosest girls in our school. Gross" he said, shaking his head at Jasper's revelation.

"Well as fun as that trip down memory lane was, can we focus on today." said Alice, shaking her head at the boys before turning back to Bella.

"I think you need to get out of the apartment and try to forget about the asshole who shall not be named." said Alice.

"I'm game. Eating my weight in crap probably isn't the best idea. Plus, watching all these episodes of True Blood is just making me horny." said Bella, her lip twitching has she tried to suppress her grin when she heard Edward make a slight choking sound.

Glancing up she saw Edward was focusing on anything but her as he ran his hand through his hair and cleared his throat.

"You need some water Edward?" she asked innocently. She might not be ready to jump into anything but friendship with someone, but she hadn't lost her sense of humor.

Making eye contact with her, she could see the amusement mirrored back in his eyes, and she knew that she had made a great friend in Edward.

"No, I'm good." he said, that handsome smirk appearing on his face.

The sound of Alice's voice brought them both out of their private bubble.

"So what do you guys think?" said Alice, she was well aware they had not heard a word she said.

"Um, can you repeat that?" said a sheepish Bella, feeling the blush cover her cheeks.

Smiling slightly at her friend's embarrassment, she took pity and pretended not to notice.

"I said, that I have some things I need to do today, but that you could go with Edward to check out some of the apartments. I know it's New Year's Day and nothing's open, but you guys could drive around and check out the neighborhoods. That's the first impression you get of an apartment and can probably narrow the list down a little." said Alice

"That would help me out a lot. I can only stay two more days. So if I could narrow down the list, then I could spend the tomorrow visiting the ones I actually want to see." said Edward.

"When are you heading home?" asked Bella, feeling a little sad that Edward would be leaving again soon.

"I've got today and tomorrow, but then I need to get on the road early the next morning." said Edward

"Well, let me get changed out of my lazy clothes and we'll go start looking. Sound good?" said Bella, anxious to get out of the apartment and focus on something other than her miserable personal life.

"Sounds good to me" said Edward, as Bella left the room to change.

As she got dressed, Bella couldn't help but think of how she felt so safe and comfortable with Edward. Sure she had spoken to him on the phone before, but technically they'd only met in person less than twenty-four hours ago. Shaking her thoughts away, she was determined to learn more about him, but there was no way she could let it turn into anything more. What would that say about her? Just last night she was dating Jacob, the lying married asshole. No, for the time being, she needed to focus on making herself happy, before she even thought about exploring her feelings for Edward. When she was ready, she'd see if there could be more than friendship, but she was content for now. For some reason, she knew he wouldn't push for more until she was ready.

**A/N: Next chapter is almost finished so there will be an update next week. There's also a small time jump between this chapter and the next. Have a great weekend!**

**Polyvore link on profile.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The plot does belong to me. I don't work with a beta, so all mistakes are my own.**

**Chapter 18**

_February - Friday_

"C & M Trucking, how can I help you?" said Bella, answering the phone for what would hopefully be the last phone call of the day.

"Please connect me to Carlisle Cullen." the caller bluntly ordered. Bella was momentarily shocked by the caller's rude behavior.

"I'm sorry sir, he's already left for the day. I'd be happy to take a message for you." offered Bella.

"Well than give me a phone number that I can reach him", they said, sounding displeased with her offer

_Tough shit buddy, we don't give out private numbers_

"I'm sorry sir, we don't give out Mr. Cullen's private number. If this is an urgent matter you can leave the message with me and I can contact him with your number. That way he can contact you at his discretion." she said, already knowing this phone call was going to grate on her nerves.

The unknown caller huffed at Bella's offer, obviously not liking that they weren't getting their way.

"Fine. Since you can't seem to do your job properly. The phone number is 206-357-6606 and my name is Mr. Denali. See if you can manage to pass that on correctly and maybe I won't express how unprofessional you were." he sneered, hanging up without another word.

Staring at the phone in shock. At that same moment Alice snapped her fingers in front of Bella's face, drawing her out of her daze.

"You okay? That must have been some phone call." said Alice, looking confused and slightly concerned.

Shaking her head, Bella looked at Alice not knowing where to begin.

"Bella?"

"Sorry. I'm trying to figure out what fact to focus on first."

"Well how about you list them out and we'll break it down together. I already set the answering service to start picking up incoming calls. So that was the last one we'll get today." said Alice, hoping up on the corner of Bella's desk.

"Alrighty", said Bella, as she starting counting things off with her hands.

"1. That caller was the biggest jackass I've spoken to since I started working here."  
"2. He wanted to speak to Carlisle and was not happy when I wouldn't give him a direct number."  
"3. He said his name was Mr. Denali. Now before you say anything, I know for a fact that Eleazar Denali speaks with an Italian accent and that person did not. Which means it was Tyler."

"Why the hell would he be calling for my father?" asked Alice. "Didn't you tell me they owned a shipping company?"

"Yeah, but I think there company focuses on shipping over seas." said Bella

"Hmm, well I'll call dad and give him the message. That's the only way we're going to find out what he's calling about. Dad and Uncle Ed are really good about doing their homework on the local shipping companies. If it's alright with you, I'll make sure to mention the connection between you and Tyler. He knows that you were getting over a bad breakup when you moved to Seattle, but not with who. So don't be surprised if he wants to pick your brain." said Alice, as she hoped of Bella's desk to gather her purse and coat to leave.

Doing the same, Bella slipped on her coat as they locked up the office and headed to their apartment.

"So when is my cousin supposed to get here?" asked Alice

"Why are you asking me?" asked Bella

"Because you talk to my cousin more than I do now. Jasper said something about him leaving early to arrive late, but I'm not sure what he meant. I got distracted before we could finish the conversation." said Alice, a mischievous smirk appearing on her face.

"Why'd you get distracted?"

"Jasper had just gotten out of the shower. He was walking around in a towel and glistening, so I dropped to my knees in the middle of the living room. He was hard instantly and I love sucking on his . . ."

"Stop! TMI!" shrieked Bella, showing her hands over her ears and picking up the pass to walk faster.

Laughing at Bella's reaction, Alice ran to catch up with her, and pulled on her arm to show it was safe and she could slow done.

"You're to easy to tease Bella." said a giggling Alice

"Yeah, laugh it up." said Bella, smiling at Alice to show she wasn't really upset.

"I know for a fact that you like my cousin. Get Edward to give you some lovin?" said Alice, nudging Bella's shoulder with her own, wiggling her eyebrows at the suggestion.

"Ugh, Alice. I want to focus on me for a while. After the disastrous relationships that were Tyler and Jacob, I don't want to mess up anything with Edward. Right now we're friends and I'm content with that. Please don't push this." said Bella

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to push. I just want you happy." said Alice, a slight frown on her face

"And I thank you for that, but just because I'm not dating anyone doesn't mean I'm not happy."

"I know. So back to the original question. When will my cousin be getting into town?" asked Alice

"He's driving one last OTR haul for his dad before next weekend. The movers will pack up his apartment Thursday morning. He's going to leave not long after they do and hopefully they'll both get here Friday morning as scheduled." said Bella, as they reached their apartment.

"I'm going to get changed out of my work clothes and relax for a bit" said Bella

"Is that code for calling Edward?" said Alice, raising an eyebrow at Bella's traitorous blush.

"Let me know before you leave for Jasper's tonight." said Bella, ignoring Alice's snickering and heading to her room.

*()*

**To: Edward  
****From: Bella  
****_(5:59pm)  
_****Message: Just got home from work. Did you get everything squared away before you leave in the morning?**

**To: Bella  
****From: Edward  
****_(6:05pm)  
_****Message: Yeah, I'm packing my bag now. Gonna eat something, then crash a few hours before getting on the road. **

**To: Edward  
****From: Bella  
****_(6:07pm)  
_****Message: K, I won't bother you then. Drive carefully. **

_ring, ring_

The sound of her cell ringing put a smile on her face. She knew it was Edward, but made sure to check the caller ID before answering. Jacob had continued trying to call her for a month after New Years, but had finally stopped when she involved Charlie. That was not a fun conversation. To say Charlie was livid with Jacob would be putting it lightly.

He had immediately gotten on the phone and contacted a few old friends from his days at the police academy. One in particular just happened to be related to a police chief in Oregon. Charlie had a satisfied smirk on his face when he informed her that Jacob's boss would be having a meeting with him the next day.

"_If that little shit likes his job, he'll leave you the fuck alone from now on. Apparently his boss also has a daughter who's complained about Jacob being a little too flirtatious with her. He stopped after she told him too, but after talking to me he's a little more inclined to reiterate what will and won't be tolerated by one of his officer's. Just let me know if he tries contacting you, but I doubt that little shit has to balls to keep bothering you." said Charlie, as he popped open a Vitamin R and relaxed in his recliner for the baseball game._

Shaking away the memories, she decided to answer her phone before it went to voicemail.

"Hello" asked Bella, holding the phone between her head and shoulder as changed out of her work clothes.

"You could never bother me so let me stop you right there. Now what are you wearing?" asked a cheeky Edward.

Laughing at Edward's question, she couldn't help but smile wide. In a short amount of time, he had become one of her best friends, but he never let their relationship fall into the dreaded "friend zone".

"Sweat pants and a holey t-shirt" said a blushing Bella

"Sexy"

"Shut up!" _giggles _"I can hear you snickering through the phone you ass" shaking her head she plopped down on the bed to continue their phone call.

Edward chuckles, "I'm just kidding. Anyway, I thought I'd call you before it got too late. I'm gonna eat some left over pizza and try and sleep for a few hours. I need to get on the road so that I can deliver the load on Monday morning. Then I'm gonna haul my ass back here as quickly as possible. I'm going to be running on fumes by the time I get to Seattle Friday, but it'll be worth it." said Edward, a yawn escaping towards the end.

Bella frowned as she once again thought about the grueling driving schedule Edward would have to stick to if he wanted to be in Seattle Friday. He would have to drive the maximum hours every day, until he had to shut down. Just to turn around and do it again everyday for the next five days. That's his job, so he was used to the long hours, but when he got home he wouldn't be able to rest. He would have to load up his truck with any items he was transporting himself, and drive to Seattle for the move. Running on fumes would be putting it lightly.

"Are you sure taking this load is such a good idea? You'll have driven all week by the time you get here Friday." asked Bella

"Don't worry Bella. I wouldn't have agreed to take it if I didn't think I could do it." said a confident sounding Edward.

"I'm sorry. I'm just being a worry wart." said Bella, rolling her eyes as soon as the phrase left her mouth.

_Great, now I sound like someone's mother. . . next thing you know I'll be asking him if he packed enough clean underwear_

"Thanks for . . . " he said, his voice trailing off as if he meant to say more, but held back

"For what?" she asked curiously

"Nothing. It's stupid. Just thanks." he said

"Well, I doubt it was stupid, but you're welcome regardless" said Bella, letting the question drop.

They continued talking as Edward finished packing his travel bag and then ate a quick dinner. Before their call ended she made him promise to drive carefully and to call her at anytime day or night.

*()*

Coming out of her room, she was surprised to see Alice sitting at the kitchen table looking at take out menus. Checking the clock, Bella saw she had been on the phone with Edward for more than an hour.

"I didn't think you'd still be here. Figured you would've already left for Jasper's place tonight." said Bella, taking a seat at the table.

Alice kept her eyes down and focused on the menus as she answered.

"Oh didn't I tell you? Jasper called me last night to tell me that he wasn't going to be home for the next few days. Flew out to California to help a buddy out with a OTR delivery."

"Oh. No you didn't mention it."

"Yeah, it's some delivery that's due Monday in Texas." Alice said nonchalantly, but Bella saw the side of her lips twitch for some reason

"Hmm, what a coincidence." she said, narrowing her eyes as she studied her friend.

"What is?"

"Jasper flew out to California for a Monday delivery in Texas, and it just so happens that Edward's delivery's set for Monday morning in Texas too." she said, crossing her arms, Bella leaned towards Alice, ducking down to make eye contact.

Alice's face pinched as she tried to avoid eye contact.

"Quit staring at me" mumbled Alice

"I'm not" said a smug Bella. She could tell Alice was going to crack under pressure.

Sitting back quickly, Alice looked annoyed suddenly

"Fine! Jasper went to help Edward. Damn it. Now I owe Jasper twenty bucks." she said

"What" said Bella, confused and amused all at the same time

"Well, I know you're concerned about Edward's schedule being so tight this week. So I mentioned it to Jasper. Before you get upset with me, I didn't bring you into it when I spoke to him. Just mentioned the hours and mileage. When he realized how much Edward would be pushing himself to stay on schedule, he decided that it might be fun to surprise him with a driving buddy." said Alice, a small smile forming on her lips

Laughing at Bella silence, Alice took that as her hint to explain a little more

"Which means that. ." pausing to look at the clock, ". . about now Jasper will be arriving at the California yard, and will start getting the truck ready for their drive. When Edward shows up, they can get on the road immediately. With Jasper's help, they can drive twice as far in one day. Once they deliver the load Monday morning, they can get back sometime Tuesday. Which will give them both time to rest before the drive to Seattle at the end of the week." giggled Alice

"Why didn't you tell me this before? Hell, why didn't Jasper call and tell Edward?" asked Bella, frowning

Alice huffed, rolling her eyes.

"Because my cousin is a stubborn ass, and would've told Jasper he could handle it himself. Which he can, but this way he's not exhausted when he makes it to Seattle next weekend."

"I guess that makes sense. So why do you owe Jasper twenty bucks?"

"He bet me twenty bucks that I'd crack under pressure the first time you questioned me" said Alice, a sheepish smile on her face

"What a sucker. I'd have bet a hundred bucks if I was him. You suck at secrets." said Bella, laughing as she dodged Alice's attempt to hit her.

*()*

**To: Bella  
****From: Edward  
****_(10:37pm)  
_****Message: I've got a surprise driving buddy for the trip. **

**To: Edward  
****From: Bella  
****_(10:38pm)  
_****Message: Yeah, Alice just told earlier when I questioned her about not being at Jasper's tonight. Are you mad?**

**To: Bella  
****From: Edward  
****_(10:40pm)  
_****Message: Na, but I won't let him know that quite yet. To fun to give him shit. It'll be fun. Plus, now there's nothing to worry about.**

**To: Edward  
****From: Bella  
****_(10:41pm)  
_****Message: I'm glad. Drive safe. See you in a week.**

**To: Bella  
****From: Edward  
****_(10:42pm)  
_****Message: I promise. See you soon beautiful.**

**A/N: **Hope you guys liked this chapter. I've been so busy this week, I almost didn't realize that it's Friday! I haven't started on the next chapter yet, so I don't want to promise an update next week. Don't forget to hit the review button and let me know what you think. Also, due to the recent purge of stories from , I'm considering moving this story to TWCS. If that happens, then I'll let you know when I post the next chapter.

Polyvore link on profile as usual.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer. The plot does belong to me. I don't work with a beta, so all mistakes are my own.**

**Chapter 19**

_Saturday – the next night_

"So did you speak to Carlisle about the phone call from Tyler?" asked Bella, taking a sip of her drink.

She was enjoying a girls night out with Alice, Jessica, and Rosalie at their favorite pool hall/bar. Emmett had even tagged along as their designated driver. Renee had offered to watch her grandchildren for the weekend to allow Rosalie and Emmett both a break.

"Yeah, I forgot to mention it last night. While you were in your room, I called him at home. He asked me to invite you to Sunday breakfast." said Alice, as she enthusiastically licked the salt off her margarita glass.

Noticing the odd looks the girls were giving her she paused mid lick, her eyes jumping from face to face before pulling back.

"What? Don't judge me bitches. I'm missing the cock this weekend so I'm gonna enjoy the booze" she said seriously, nodding her head at her own words.

The girls all started laughing at Alice's response, while Emmett grimaced.

"This is gonna be a long night" he grumbled to himself, wishing his drink had alcohol in it.

*()*

_2 hours later _

Jessica was laughing hysterically as she attempted to take a tequila shot. Causing her to snort when some of it graciously went up her nose.

"What in the hell are you laughing about over there?" asked Rosalie. She had warmed up to Jessica over the last few months, but that didn't mean they were best friends.

"I was thinking about the bitchy customer that comes into the coffee shop every morning." she said, giggling the whole time.

"Why would that make you laugh" asked Alice, while frowning down at her glass.

"Damn, my drink ran away again" she slurred, turning her puppy dog eyes toward Emmett.

"Emmy bear" _hiccup _"someone drank my drink again" she whined, pouting at the end. Before he could do more than shake his head at the drunken pixie, she jumped in her chair like she'd been shocked and turned back to Jessica.

"Well why?" she asked again, her empty glass forgotten.

Jessica was attempting to bite her lime, but somehow ended up with the slice in her cheek.

"I call her a _twatsicle _in my head when she orders" _drunken giggles_ "today I said it out loud." she mumbled around the lime.

"You look like there's a dick in your mouth" blurted out Bella, before she started laughing uncontrollably at her outburst. Alice fell against her laughing just as hard, while Rosalie started choking on the mouthful of beer she'd just taken. Jessica managed not to choke on the slice, but ended up spitting it across the table into Emmett's glass.

"Ten points!" squealed Jessica, before she suddenly stopped everything

"Damn, I gotta pee" she slurred, standing and managing a surprisingly steady turn, before teetering to the bathroom.

The sound of Emmett's phone ringing brought everyone's attention away from Jessica and back to the table. He had downloaded an obnoxiously loud ring tone that sounded like a tornado siren.

"I miss you guys so much" was the first thing he said to whoever called.

"Don't laugh at me you assholes. Do you know what it's like to sit and listen to four women talk about cycles, twats, and cocks for two hours while they steadily get drunker and more blunt as time goes by?" he whined into the phone.

"Is that my Jazzy poo poo?" asked Alice, her head propped up on her fist, looking at Emmett with the puppy dog eyes again.

"Alice says "hi" Jazzy poo poo" said Emmett, making sure to over exaggerate his words to tease Jasper. It was actually Edward on the phone, but he could hear Jasper grumbling in the background as Edward repeated the message.

"So how drunk are the girls Emmett?" asked an amused Edward.

"Drunk enough that I'm wishing I'd thought ahead and put barf bags in the truck. Luckily Rose isn't drunk and will be able to help me control the three amigos" he said, wincing when he saw Jessica run into the wall opposite the bathroom door.

"I know from talking to Bella that their friend Jessica usually ends up _three sheets to the wind_, but how bad are my sister and Bella right now?" he asked chuckling.

"Well, let's put it this way. Alice keeps pouting about someone stealing her drinks, and Bella has reached the point where her filter is pretty much non-existent", he said, while he watched Alice swap her empty glass for Bella's full one, when she turned her head.

"Well shit. . ." Bella said, frowning down at her glass. She turned to Emmett with a puzzled look on her face.

"Emmett, that fucker's starting to steal my" _hiccup_ "my drinks too!" she shouted, loud enough that Edward could clearly hear her through the phone.

Rosalie face palmed, shaking her head at her sister.

"What the hell is she talking about man?" asked Edward, chuckling. He knew his sister could be a whiny drunk, but he wished he was there to help take care of Bella.

"About two margarita's back, Alice started complaining about her drinks disappearing. Now it seems she's spreading that idea to Bella.", said Emmett. Frowning when he noticed Jessica spin in a circle, almost like she was chasing an imaginary tail.

_That chick is strange._

"I'm guessing they're too shit faced to realize their not actually disappearing?"

"Actually, they kind of are disappearing" chuckling, he stepped a few feet away from the table to continue the call away from their freaky sonar hearing.

"Um, I don't follow" said Edward. Jasper could be heard in the back, telling Edward to put the call on speaker.

"What I mean is the drinks kind of are disappearing. When Alice isn't looking Jessica is stealing her drinks, and when Bella's not looking, Alice is stealing her's. Which is probably a good thing. Bella's a lightweight, so she'd probably be passed out by now if she was actually drinking all her drinks by herself. As it is, Jessica's walking into walls, Alice is licking the salt off everyone's glasses when their not looking, and Bella got no filter." he said, making sure to keep an eye on the girls.

Jasper and Edward both started laughing at the image Emmett described to them.

"Why don't you call it a night and take them home." said Jasper. He knew from experience that if Emmett waited too much longer, he'd have to sling a passed out Alice over his shoulder.

"Yeah, that's probably best. I'm just trying to figure out how to convince them it's a good idea. Any suggestions?" he asked

"Well, I can help you with Alice. I'm pulling into a truck stop as we speak, give me a minute to park and then give her the phone." said Jasper.

Needing all the help he could get, Emmett walked back to the table.

"Alice, Jasper's on the phone." he said, handing the phone to her.

"Jazzy!" Alice squealed into the phone.

"But I don't wanna go home" she pouted, before a wide smile appeared on her face.

"Okay, Jazzy poo. . . uh huh. . ." _giggles, hiccup _"okie dokie" she slurred before thrusting the phone was at Emmett, smiling with a glazed look on her face.

"Do I want to know what you said to her?" he asked.

"Probably not. Edward's grumbling about needing brain bleach." he said, chuckling.

"Don't ask Emmett, you'll just feel dirty afterward.", Edward shouted into the phone.

Well that's one down. What about the other two?"

"Let Rosalie handle Jessica. The last time I was the girls DD, she wasn't that difficult. I know her and Rosalie don't seem to get along, but I got the impression that Jessica kind of looks up to her. Just my opinion." said Jasper.

"Hey, Eddie, you wanna try talking to your girl for me?", teasing Edward about his not so secret crush

"Don't call me Eddie asshole. Give her the phone" said Edward, failing to keep the humor out of his voice.

"Bella, Edward's on the phone." said Emmett, trying to hand her the phone.

"Where?", she asked, before looking around the bar.

Chuckling, he put a hand on her shoulder.

"No Bella, he's not here in the bar. He's on the phone" he said

"Oh, well that sucks" she said, lifting her glass before realizing that it was empty. Looking back at Emmett, she took the phone.

"Edward?"

"Hey, you girls having a good time?"

"Yeah, but some douche keeps stealing our drinks when we're not looking" she grumbled, wondering why Alice was giggling again.

"Well I'm sorry to hear that. Why don't you girls just go ahead and call it a night?"

"Yeah. I'm feeling a nice buzz, but I don't wanna spend the night on the bathroom floor. Yuck."

"I wish I was there to make sure you get home alright. I know Emmett will get you there safe, but let me know when you get home anyway. That way I won't worry. Okay?" said Edward.

_Wow, this man sure knows how to make a girls panties go "poof"_

"Hmm, is that so?" said a chuckling Edward, suddenly sounding rather smug

"Is what so?" asked Bella, thinking back over the last few seconds

_oh dear lord sweet baby Jesus, please tell me I did not say the panties comment out loud_

"Yes beautiful, you did. Just out of curiosity, what kind of panties are we talking about?" asked Edward

*()*

"Poof" was all Alice kept saying, all morning, followed by giggles, followed by groans when she remembered why margaritas were bad.

"Shut up" grumbled Bella, as they arrived at the Cullen's house for breakfast the next morning. After her embarrassing loss of filter while talking to Edward she had hung up the phone quickly and for some reason decided that wasn't good enough. Oh no, she had decided tossing it into Emmett's water-glass would be even better. Yeah, he wasn't happy about that little bright idea. Thankfully he had insurance on the phone and it would only cost her $50 to replace it.

"I'm sorry Bella. I just can't get over it." said Alice, snickering a little before looking at Bella as they reached the front door.

Taking a deep breath, "okay, I think I've gotten it out of my system." said Alice, bumping her shoulder lightly against Bella's as reached to open the front door.

"Mom, we're here." called Alice, wincing at the level of her voice

"In the kitchen girls" called Esme

Entering the kitchen the girls found Carlisle already sitting at the counter reading the paper and enjoying his morning coffee. Esme was pulling the last few ingredients out of the refrigerator to start making breakfast. They each hugged her hello, before she shooed them away to take a seat.

"I hope you girls don't mind, I asked Esme to wait til you got here to start breakfast. That way we could talk about a few things while she's cooking and then we can enjoy our breakfast." said Carlisle, as he got up to greet the girls. Giving Alice a hug before smiling and Bella and pulling her over for a hug as well.

"You used to always give me hugs when you girls were little, and I know that Esme and I still think of you as a daughter, so I don't expect that to change now that your older." he whispered to Bella, throwing in a wink before returning to his seat.

"Thanks Carlisle" said Bella, smiling at how much the Cullen's always made her feel welcome.

"So Alice told me about the phone call you received Friday. She also mentioned that I should speak to you before I returned his call. Care to explain?" asked Carlisle, looking at Bella for answers.

"Yeah, Tyler Denali was my ex-boyfriend. We were dating before I moved to Seattle." said Bella, feeling a comforting hand on her shoulder she looked up to see Esme smiling softly with a cup of coffee for her.

"Thank you" she said softly, noticing Alice was already nursing her cup like it was the holy grail.

"You're welcome sweetheart" said Esme, returning to stove

"I don't know all the details, but I do know that it ended badly." said Carlisle, his jaw tensing when thought about how Bella looked when she first moved to Seattle.

"Yeah, how much do you know about the Denali's?" she asked

"Well, I've never met or done any business with them personally. I know that they focus on overseas shipping and they have a very successful business as far as I can tell. I've heard that Eleazar is a rather shrewd business man though. I also know that successful or not, I don't approve of how he runs his company. It is for that reason that Ed and I decided a long time ago, that we didn't want anything to do with them. So it's an easy decision to return Tyler's call as a courtesy only, but I'd like to know the full story before I do that." said Carlisle

"Um, I'm not sure why Tyler would be calling you, but I can tell you that while we were dating Eleazar never let him handle anything that didn't concern clients with shipping contracts. Since you have your own shipping company, Tyler wouldn't have any reason to call you. I once overheard Eleazar telling Tyler that he was too incompetent to handle bigger deals and should stick to handling the clients they already had under contract."

"Hmm, if that's the case, then why would Tyler be calling me and not Eleazar?" asked Carlisle, his brows furrowed

"Maybe Tyler's just the middle man and the phone call is actually for Eleazar?" wondered Alice

"Maybe, but I had blinders on while we were dating. They are off now and I know that no one in that family is trustworthy. They're only interested in making money and their social status." said Bella, the slight bitterness returning to her voice as she spoke

"Well, I'll give him a call tomorrow morning and find out what this is all about. I'm not going to waste anymore of your time this morning discussing this. I do think that I will call Ed before breakfast though. It's not just my company, and I want him aware that we've received the call from them. I might be jumping the gun, but I'd rather have all my bases covered and make sure Ed knows to call immediately if he receives any similar phone calls." said Carlisle, finishing off his coffee and rising from the table to head to his home office.

"Well, now that that's all done, why don't you girls tell me what you've been up to lately." said Esme, a mischievous look in her eyes that worried Bella.

"Mom, why do you look so smug?" asked Alice, narrowing her eyes are her mother's growing smile

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently

At the girls silence, Esme gave up the innocent act and pounced.

"So a little bird told me that my nephew is rather smitten with a certain blushing beauty" she said, arms crossed as she looked at the girls.

"ugh" was the only response she got before Bella dropped her head to the granite counter.

Shaking her head she listened to Alice's snickering and a whispered "poof". Between the two of them she knew they would question her until she spilled her guts.

This was going to be a long morning.

**A/N: Surprise! I have to make a quick trip out of town tomorrow, unexpectedly, so you get this chapter a little early. I can't promise a chapter next week, but I'll try my best. Also, I decided to post this on FictionPad instead of TWCS. So if for any reason this gets deleted, you can find it over there. **

**Polyvore Link on profile**


End file.
